Zelensky makes first visit to Serbia, seeking to pull Belgrade from Moscow's orbit with free trade and energy talks

First presidential trip to Belgrade

President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Belgrade on Friday evening, 7 August 2026, for his first official visit to Serbia since taking office in 2019. He was greeted at Nikola Tesla airport by energy and mining minister Dubravka Handanovic before joining President Aleksandar Vucic for an official dinner. The two leaders held talks at the presidential palace on Saturday, 8 August, followed by a joint press conference. The visit is part of a series of foreign trips by Zelensky aimed at consolidating international support amid intensifying Russian attacks on Ukraine.

Economic cooperation and free trade

Vucic and Zelensky announced their intention to finalize a free trade agreement by the end of 2026. The deal is essential for Serbia's candidacy at the World Trade Organization and a necessary condition for EU accession. Ukraine had blocked the agreement since 2005 over quotas and tariffs applied to its agricultural sector. Zelensky said the two discussed joint infrastructure projects, energy cooperation and food security ahead of winter. Serbia remains heavily dependent on Russia for most of its natural gas supplies and has refused to impose sanctions on Moscow, a stance Vucic did not change during the visit.

Security and energy crisis

Zelensky said Ukraine has practically no intact thermal power plant left after repeated Russian strikes on energy infrastructure, describing the situation as Ukraine approaches winter. He thanked Vucic for a new humanitarian aid program focused on medical and energy sectors. The visit was preceded by a heavy Russian bombardment of Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight from Friday to Saturday, which killed at least three people and wounded seven. On the night of Wednesday, 5 August, at least 17 people were killed in Russian bombing.

“Russian missiles are specifically designed to make life unbearable for Ukrainians.”

EU integration and mutual positions

Zelensky said Ukraine would welcome an acceleration of Serbia's EU accession process, adding that every European nation should receive a clear signal that Europe needs it. Serbia has been an EU candidate since 2012, with accession negotiations beginning in 2014. Vucic said in July 2025 that he was skeptical about rapid EU enlargement, a view Zelensky acknowledged.

“I understand Aleksandar when he expresses his skepticism, which he shared with me yesterday in detail. Ukraine has no time for skepticism, we are at war, we are aware and we understand how Ukraine must be in the future.”

Vucic confirmed that Serbia will maintain support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, including territories occupied by Russia since 2014. In return, Ukraine has not recognized Kosovo's independence, proclaimed in 2008, a position Vucic has repeatedly appreciated.

“You have never heard a bad word about our country, neither from Volodymyr Zelensky nor from anyone else in Ukraine, and for this I am extremely grateful to our Ukrainian friends.”

Geopolitical context

An anonymous senior Ukrainian official told AFP that Kyiv's objective is to detach Serbs from Russia's camp, calling the visit a slap for the Russians. Vucic has tried to maintain relations with both Russia and Ukraine while pursuing EU membership. He met Vladimir Putin in Moscow in May 2025 and again in Beijing in September of that year. In May 2025, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service accused Serbian arms companies of selling ammunition to Ukraine through third countries despite Belgrade's official neutrality. Vucic promised at the time to block any suspicious contracts and subsequently halted exports of weapons, ammunition and military equipment.