N1: Ukrainian delegation expected to visit Serbia, possibly led by Zelensky

A Ukrainian delegation is expected to visit Serbia sometime this week, with the possibility of President Volodymyr Zelensky personally leading it, N1 television has learned.

If confirmed, it would be Zelensky's first visit to Serbia since taking office in 2019 and since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. However, given the state of war in Ukraine, such a visit could be canceled at any time, N1 said in a text published on the television's portal.

Although there has been no official confirmation of Zelenski's possible visit to Belgrade, diplomatic sources in Belgrade expect that a joint memorandum of understanding on trade cooperation between the two countries could be signed soon.

Both Serbia and Ukraine share aspirations for membership in the European Union (EU), with mutual support for each other's European path representing one of the key pillars of bilateral relations. Another important point in the relations is Serbia's and Ukraine's mutual support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of their countries.

Until now, contacts between the presidents of Serbia and Ukraine have mainly taken place during international political summits, attended by both leaders. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the Serbian president has visited Ukraine once - on June 11, 2025, in Odessa, where the Ukraine - South-East Europe summit was held.

On that occasion, Serbia did not sign the joint declaration for the first time because, as explained, it contained a call for sanctions against Russia due to the war in Ukraine.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said at the time that "no one pressured him excessively" to sign the declaration. At the summit, Vučić offered that Serbia help rebuild "one or two cities or a smaller region."

There were no representatives from Kosovo at that summit, because Ukraine does not recognize Kosovo's independence.

First direct talks in August 2023.

The first direct talks between the presidents of Serbia and Ukraine since the start of the war took place in late August 2023, about a year and a half after the start of the war. The meeting and talks took place in Athens at the Ukraine - South-East Europe Summit. On that occasion, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced that Serbia would continue to support and respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Vučić described the talks as open, friendly and constructive.

At the same summit, a declaration condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine was adopted and signed. Vučić stressed at the time that he had managed to ensure that the declaration did not contain a call for sanctions against Russia.

Regarding the same meeting, the Ukrainian president wrote on social media that it was "a good conversation about respecting the UN Charter and the inviolability of borders. About the common future of our peoples in a common European home. The development of our relations is in our common interest."

Before that meeting, the first personal contact between the presidents of Serbia and Ukraine took place in Moldova in early June 2023, when they shook hands after a group photo at the second summit of the European Political Community.

Vučić and Zelensky have also participated in almost all summits of the European Political Community, which was established to demonstrate European unity against Russian aggression.

There were two exceptions. At the founding summit in Prague in 2022, the Serbian president attended in person, while the Ukrainian president joined via video link. At all subsequent summits, Zelensky attended in person. At the last summit, held in Armenia, Serbia was not represented by President Vučić, but by Prime Minister Đuro Macut.

Both Belgrade and Kiev have repeatedly stated at the highest level that relations between the two countries are good and fair and that there is room for improvement.

The last such statement came on May 14, 2026, from Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić, during a conversation with the Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia, Alexander Litvinenko. On his X account, Đurić wrote that he emphasized "Belgrade's readiness to further intensify political dialogue, hold bilateral political consultations, and improve trade cooperation."

Complicated relationships

Relations between the two countries are, however, complicated due to Belgrade's stance towards Moscow.

However, Ukrainian officials have generally indicated that Kiev understands Serbia's position and is not imposing the issue of sanctions on Moscow as a condition in bilateral relations.

Ukrainian officials, including President Zelensky, have repeatedly thanked Serbia for its humanitarian aid, while Serbian officials, including President Vučić, have thanked Ukraine for its support for Serbia's territorial integrity and sovereignty - namely, for not recognizing Kosovo's independence.

A particularly sensitive aspect of relations between the two countries concerns arms exports.

Since 2022, numerous media outlets and portals, including Ukrainian and Russian ones, have reported that Serbian weapons and ammunition have been found on the Ukrainian battlefield and in the possession of Ukrainian forces. According to these reports, the weapons arrived in Ukraine through exports via third countries.

In June 2025, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service reported that two Serbian companies had sold multiple rocket launchers and mortar shells (or components for them) to companies in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, from where they ended up in Ukraine. This prompted a sharp reaction from Moscow.

After that, the Serbian Ministry of Defense announced that, by order of the president, the export of weapons and military equipment manufactured in Serbia has been suspended. More precisely, future exports will require the approval of the Serbian National Security Council.

Official Belgrade has repeatedly denied direct arms exports to Ukraine, saying it "cannot influence" whether weapons produced in Serbia, exported via third countries, will ultimately end up in Ukraine.

Although Serbia condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine in late February 2022, more than four years after the start of the war, it still refuses to impose sanctions on Russia, despite repeated calls from Brussels for Serbia, as an EU candidate country, to align its foreign and security policy with that of the European Union. The imposition of sanctions on Russia is part of that alignment.

At the same time, Serbia is a member of several political platforms established after the war, aimed either at closer cooperation with Ukraine on common goals or at political support for Ukraine. These include the Ukraine - South-Eastern Europe Summit and the European Political Community.

Regular contacts between the two countries are also maintained through the first ladies.

In November 2025, the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, officially visited Kiev, where she met, among others, with the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk and President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Brnabić then said that Serbia fully supports Ukraine on its European path and that Serbia has sent more humanitarian aid to Ukraine than all other Western Balkan countries combined.

The Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Ukraine also regularly participates in and initiates humanitarian actions. One of the most recent included providing a generator for a kindergarten in the town of Bucha, Kyiv region. The Krokodil organization and several regional organizations also participated in the humanitarian initiative.