Zelensky to visit Serbia for the first time - media

The trip, planned for 8 August, holds symbolic significance, as Serbia remains one of Moscow's closest partners in Europe.

President Volodymyr Zelensky will make his first trip to Serbia on Saturday since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This is reported by Daily Sabah, citing AFP.

According to a Ukrainian senior official, Kyiv aims to strengthen contacts with Serbia and reduce its dependence on Russian influence.

"We need to distance the Serbs from the Russian side," said a Ukrainian representative, calling Zelensky's visit to Belgrade "a slap to the Russians."

Zelensky has not visited Serbia since becoming president of Ukraine in 2019. Nevertheless, after the start of the full-scale war, he has made numerous overseas trips to secure international support for Ukraine.

Serbia maintains ties with Moscow

Serbia is considered one of the friendliest countries to Russia in Europe. Belgrade has not imposed sanctions on Moscow and has preserved close energy links with the Russian Federation.

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. There he called for closer cooperation and trade.

This visit was one of the few occasions when a European leader visited Russia after the start of the full-scale war.

At the same time, Serbia officially seeks to join the European Union. In Brussels, concerns have repeatedly been raised about Belgrade's close ties with Moscow.

As a reminder, in May Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by phone with the President of Serbia about developing bilateral relations between the two countries.

In July, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, paid a working visit to Serbia, where he met Vučić.

Serbia confirmed its support for Ukraine and participation in its reconstruction.

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