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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Serbia on Friday, August 7, for talks with the country’s leadership scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
Zelenskyy confirmed his arrival and said he would hold important meetings with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Đuro Macut.
“We will discuss expanding economic ties between our countries, relations with the European Union and other issues that can benefit our people, as well as security matters,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian president stressed that Kyiv remains committed to working with Serbia “constructively, mutually beneficially and on the basis of mutual respect.”
The visit marks Zelenskyy’s first official trip to Belgrade since he became president of Ukraine. The two countries’ leaders have previously met several times on the sidelines of international forums and summits outside their countries.
Asked whether Zelenskyy’s visit could signal that Serbia might join sanctions against Russia, Vučić said Belgrade had established its position almost five years ago and had not changed it since. He added that Serbia’s position would remain unchanged.
Earlier, Serbian President Vučić made his first visit to Kyiv in more than a decade and pledged to provide assistance to Ukraine. However, Belgrade did not support new measures targeting Russia.