Belgrade will support Ukraine's independence and wants to deepen economic cooperation between the two countries, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Saturday, though he stopped short of promising that Serbia would impose sanctions on its longtime ally, Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is on a two-day visit to Belgrade that concludes on Saturday, his first trip to Serbia since taking office in 2019. His wife, Olena, visited Belgrade in 2024.
Vucic, whose country faces early elections in the coming months, is trying to strike a delicate balance between Serbia's ambition to join the European Union and its historical and economic ties with Russia, Reuters reports.
In 2022, Belgrade condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine but declined to impose sanctions on Moscow, and Serbia remains dependent on Russia for most of its natural gas supply.
Vucic Doubts Swift EU Accession for Serbia and Ukraine
Vucic, who has met Zelensky several times, most recently in Kyiv on 15 July, said Serbia would continue to support Ukraine's territorial integrity, including the territories Russia has occupied since 2014.
Ukraine, for its part, refuses to recognize Kosovo's independence, declared in 2008, and Belgrade considers Kosovo to be part of Serbia.
"You have never heard a single bad word about our country, neither from Volodymyr Zelensky nor anyone else (in Ukraine), and I am extremely grateful to our Ukrainian friends for that", Vucic said.
The Serbian president expressed doubt that either Serbia or Ukraine would join the European Union in the near future, though he said Belgrade would support Kyiv's efforts to do so.
No Quick End to the War in Sight
Vucic said he does not believe Russia's war against Ukraine will end soon, even though, in his view, the entire international community, including Serbia, would like to see it end as quickly as possible.
"But I don't see a way this can happen", Vucic said, according to Ukrayinska Pravda.
"But if you ask me as a political veteran, I will tell you that I am not sure about this. I am very afraid that we will have a very difficult winter. First of all, for Ukrainians", the Serbian president noted.
Belgrade and Kyiv Deepen Economic Ties
Both Vucic and Zelensky said the two countries want to deepen economic cooperation and finalize a free trade agreement by the end of the year. The agreement matters for Serbia's bid to join the World Trade Organization and is also a condition of its EU membership. Ukraine has blocked it since 2005 over quotas and tariffs affecting its agricultural sector.
Zelensky said the two leaders also discussed joint infrastructure projects and cooperation on energy and food security ahead of the coming winter, as Ukraine's energy infrastructure has been severely damaged by Russian attacks.
"We are developing all formats of cooperation which can give our people ... more resilience", Zelensky said.
Zelensky Says Patriot Supplies Remain Insufficient
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Belgrade of selling ammunition to Ukraine through intermediaries. Serbia has denied supplying ammunition to Ukraine, though it has acknowledged selling it to other customers around the world. Vucic said he and Zelensky had not discussed military cooperation.
Speaking to journalists alongside the Serbian president, Zelensky said Kyiv had an agreement with Washington for monthly deliveries of Patriot missiles, though the quantity was insufficient to meet Ukraine's air defense needs, Ukrayinska Pravda reported.
Zelensky said the problem could only be solved by the missiles' manufacturer, the United States, which he said was working to help and had agreed to allocate missiles every month, though he questioned whether the quantity would be enough. He added that deliveries this year would be smaller than in previous years.
However, he did not specify how many missiles Ukraine will receive each month. Nor is it clear from his remarks whether this is a new agreement or an existing one with the United States that will continue.
A Mistake by Biden?
Zelensky also said Ukraine was working around the clock to reach an agreement with European countries on the supply of air-to-air missiles, negotiating primarily with Poland, Germany and the Scandinavian countries, which have such missiles available, Unian reported.
"Every day I communicate with one or another European state so that Ukraine receives additional missiles outside the American package", he said.
He added that in the first year of the war, he had asked the then US President Joe Biden to grant licenses for the production of Patriot systems.
"If we had received them then, we would have already been producing Patriot for everyone, including Europe. And now we are dealing with documents. But we are not being attacked by paper missiles, but by real missiles that kill people. Not only Americans, but also Europeans should be involved in this. We are also taking a long time to resolve licensing issues with them", Zelensky said.
(Reuters, UA Pravda, Unian, Luc)