Serbian President Vucic Makes Historic First Visit to Ukraine Amid Regional Summit

By Staff, Agencies

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic made his first-ever visit to Ukraine on Wednesday, attending the Ukraine–Southeastern Europe Summit in the Black Sea port city of Odesa.

The visit marks a significant milestone, as it is Vucic’s first trip to Ukraine in his 12-year tenure and the first by a Serbian leader since 2011.

Vucic's office announced that he would spend one day in Ukraine to participate in the summit, which gathered senior officials from 12 Southeastern European countries. The event took place in Odesa, which recently came under heavy Russian missile and drone operations.

Despite Serbia's traditionally close ties with Moscow and its refusal to impose Western sanctions on Russia over the invasion of Ukraine, Belgrade has consistently supported Ukraine's territorial integrity at the United Nations and has issued public condemnations of Russian aggression.

The last Serbian president to visit Ukraine was Boris Tadic in 2011, while former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko visited Serbia in 2018. Vucic himself has met with current Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on at least three prior occasions.

While Serbia is pursuing membership in the European Union, its deep energy ties with Russia remain a major factor in its foreign policy. Russia is Serbia’s largest gas supplier, and its only oil refinery is predominantly owned by Gazprom and Gazprom Neft.

Recently, Serbia’s Minister of European Integration, Nemanja Starovic, reiterated the country’s condemnation of Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine.