Zelensky makes first official visit to Serbia, discussing EU bids and security with Vucic
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Serbia on August 7, 2026, for his first official visit to the Balkan country, holding talks with President Aleksandar Vucic on EU accession, economic ties, and security amid ongoing Russian strikes on Kyiv.
Arrival and first meeting
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Serbia on Friday, August 7, 2026, for his first official visit to the Balkan country since taking office in 2019. He was welcomed at Belgrade airport by Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic and later had dinner with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. The two leaders had most recently met on July 15, 2026, in Kyiv, and previously on the sidelines of multilateral conferences. Vucic himself visited Ukraine for a regional summit in 2025 and travelled to Kyiv again this year, though he has avoided signing a formal declaration of support for Ukraine in the war.
Zelensky posted a video of his arrival on Telegram and outlined the agenda on X.
We will discuss expanding economic ties between our countries, relations with the European Union, other areas that can benefit our nations, and security issues.
Saturday talks and agenda
Formal talks between the two presidents were scheduled for Saturday at the presidential palace in Belgrade. Vucic said on Thursday that the leaders would discuss their respective EU accession bids as well as economic and energy cooperation. Serbia's path to EU membership has been slowed by Vucic's refusal to impose sanctions on Moscow, a stance that has irked Brussels. For Zelensky, the visit is part of a broader diplomatic effort to maintain international support as Russia intensifies its strikes on Ukrainian cities.
- Vucic visits Ukraine for a regional summit
- Vucic visits Kyiv again
- Zelensky and Vucic meet in Kyiv
- Zelensky arrives in Belgrade, welcomed by Energy Minister Djedovic Handanovic, has dinner with Vucic
- Formal talks at the presidential palace in Belgrade
Serbia's balancing act
Serbia remains widely regarded as Europe's most pro-Russian country. Vucic has ruled Serbia for 14 years and faces crucial parliamentary elections, with a student-led protest movement planning to field its own electoral list. According to opinion polls, the majority of Vucic's supporters side with Russia and oppose EU membership. Pro-government media outlets such as the tabloid Informer have openly backed Moscow in the war. Despite this, Vucic has supplied non-military aid to Kyiv, and the Kremlin has accused Serbian firms of selling munitions to Ukraine, a claim Vucic has repeatedly denied.
Political analyst Djordje Vukadinovic told Deutsche Welle that the visit serves both leaders' interests.
Zelenskyy welcomes anything that comes across as a kind of slap in the face for Putin. That also applies to the European Union, which certainly played a role in making this meeting happen.
Vukadinovic added that Vucic wants to present himself as open to EU cooperation, particularly after observing the experience of Hungary's Viktor Orban, and that Brussels retains enough leverage in the Balkans for Vucic to avoid drawing criticism ahead of elections.
Ongoing Russian strikes on Kyiv
The visit followed another intense bombardment of Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight. According to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the regional military administration, the attacks killed at least three people, including a child, in the Brovary district northeast of the city, with seven wounded. A later report put the death toll at at least four. Moscow has escalated attacks on the Ukrainian capital in recent months, typically firing salvos of hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles in short blitzes, while Ukraine has pleaded for more US-made Patriot interceptors. Kyiv has been firing record numbers of drones at Russia in retaliation. Diplomacy remains at a standstill more than four years after Russia's large-scale offensive began.
