Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on the sidelines of a Ukraine-Balkans summit in Athens on Tuesday, according to both sides.
“The parties noted that mutual support for territorial integrity and sovereignty is an important part of the partnership between Ukraine and Serbia,” Zelensky’s office said in a statement.
Vucic said he had “a good and open conversation” with Zelensky about the important issues both countries face.
“We touched on the events in Ukraine and Kosovo and Metohija, and I once again pointed out that Serbia respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine, which we have been saying clearly and unequivocally since the start of the conflict,” Vucic said in a post on Instagram.
Zelensky thanked Vucic for the humanitarian assistance provided by Serbia to Ukraine, as well as for the support for Ukrainians who have found refuge in Serbia after the start of the war, Zelensky’s office said.
Some background: Traditionally one of Moscow’s closest allies in Europe, Belgrade has long tried to tread the line between its historical ties to Russia and a potential future of closer European integration.
Western diplomats have sought to pull Vucic from the orbit of his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, by pledging a swifter path to EU membership while simultaneously warning of isolation if they break rank.
But, 18 months on, some observers say the current approach has been all carrot and no stick, and as a result, is failing to achieve both of its aims.
Serbia has refused to participate in all rounds of EU sanctions against Putin. And Serbia has continued to pursue its own interests in the region with diminishing accountability, stirring conflicts abroad to distract from discontent at home, safe in the knowledge it will not be rebuked in the West.
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