Serbia's president visits Ukraine for the first time in EU realignment signal

Published connected 11/06/2025 - 14:03 GMT+2•Updated 19:08

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić visited Ukraine connected Wednesday, marking his first ever travel to nan country.

During a one-day trip, Vučić participated successful nan Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit successful Odesa, arsenic announced by Serbia's Presidential Office. 

According to Euronews’ European governmental sources, nan Serbian president’s information successful nan acme signals Serbia’s realignment pinch nan EU regarding Russia’s full-scale penetration of Ukraine.

Serbia has positioned itself arsenic neutral erstwhile it comes to Russia’s warfare against Ukraine, but Vučić’s caller sojourn to Moscow for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Victory Day parade drew crisp disapproval from Brussels regarding Serbia’s EU rank bid.

Brussels issued a stark warning, indicating that Vučić’s sojourn to Moscow would break EU rank criteria and perchance wounded Serbia's accession process to nan 27-member bloc.

According to Euronews’ European governmental sources, Vučić’s information successful nan acme successful Odesa and its symbolism should lead to Brussels reopening and expediting Serbia’s EU enlargement chapters.

In this context, arsenic a motion towards Serbia, Ukraine did not induce Kosovo to nan summit, nan aforesaid sources told Euronews.

Russia accused Serbia of arming Ukraine

Just recently, Russia accused Serbia of exporting arms to Ukraine, calling it a "stab successful nan back" from 1 of Moscow’s longest-standing European allies. 

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) issued a connection claiming that "Serbian defence enterprises, contrary to nan ‘neutrality’ declared by charismatic Belgrade, proceed to proviso ammunition to Kyiv.”

The connection alleged that nan export of nan Serbian arms to Ukraine was going done NATO intermediaries, "primarily nan Czech Republic, Poland and Bulgaria."

"Recently, exotic options involving African states person besides been utilized for this purpose," SVR said.

Vučić denied nan accusations, saying that though a statement pinch nan Czech Republic exists, it does not licence exporting Serbian-made materiel to different country. 

He besides stated Moscow and Belgrade would create a "working group" to found really Serbian-made weapons reached Ukraine.

The Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit successful Odesa has gathered representatives from 12 southeastern European countries.

Among them is Romanian President Nicusor Dan, who is making his first travel to Ukraine since winning nan May election.

Russia has regularly targeted nan larboard metropolis of Odesa successful rocket and drone attacks.**

On Tuesday, 2 group were killed aft drone attacks deed residential buildings and aesculapian facilities, including a maternity ward, officials said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later said 13 group had besides been injured there.