BELGRADE -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s first visit to Belgrade since being elected in 2019 has produced few significant results while underlining Serbia’s ongoing efforts to maintain ties with both Moscow and the West.Speaking at a news conference wrapping up the visit on August 8, Zelenskyy said he was grateful for all foreign support and thanked Serbia for a “new packet of humanitarian support from Serbia to Ukraine, including in the fields of medicine and energy. It’s very important for us.”Both leaders also talked up the prospects for a free trade deal.But more sensitive issues were not mentioned, at least in public, such as Serbia’s continued reliance on Russian energy supplies and its sales of ammunition stocks that have reportedly ended up with the Ukrainian armed forces.
Most importantly for both sides, despite a small pro-Russian demonstration in the city center, the visit went off without any embarrassing hitches.Serbia’s Balancing ActAlthough Serbia has repeatedly supported Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty at the United Nations, condemning Russian aggression, it has not followed the European Union’s lead by imposing sanctions on Russia.Serbia imports nearly all of its natural gas from Russia, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has sought to maintain personal ties with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, also stressing historical bonds between the two nations. Putin remains a popular figure in Serbia, according to public opinion research.Just a few weeks ago, Vucic was the only leader at a summit in Odesa who refused to sign a declaration calling for additional pressure on Russia to end the war.Asked on August 8 about the prospects for peace in Ukraine, Vucic offered a neutral answer that avoided apportioning blame for Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.“I just hope, without any real facts behind these hopes, that this will end tomorrow. But I don’t see the way how this might happen,” he said.
