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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will make his first visit to Serbia on Saturday since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian official told Agence France-Presse (AFP), highlighting the symbolic importance of the trip to Moscow's traditional ally.
"We need to pull the Serbs away from Russia's side," the official said, calling Zelenskyy's visit to Belgrade a "slap in the face for the Russians."
Meanwhile, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s office confirmed what it described as an “official visit” by Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy, who has traveled widely to build support for Ukraine's defense against Russia, has not visited Serbia since becoming president in 2019.
Serbia is seen as one of the most Moscow-friendly countries in Europe. It has not sanctioned Russia over its 2022 invasion of Ukraine and has maintained close energy ties with Moscow.
The visit comes after Vucic traveled to Kyiv in July alongside other regional leaders to attend the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit.
After the summit, Vucic said he was "not entirely" satisfied with the level of assistance Serbia had provided to Ukraine.
However, he again declined to sign the summit's joint declaration, which called for continued political, military, financial and security support for Ukraine, as well as increased pressure on Russia.
On Aug. 3, Zelenskyy said the Carpathian Initiative would be launched in the autumn, Euronews.rs reported.
He described it as a new regional platform bringing together Ukraine, Serbia and six other European countries to strengthen cooperation in the economy, security, logistics, tourism and Ukraine's reconstruction, with the support of the European Union.
Vucic has also held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, a rare visit by a European leader during the war, where he called for strengthened cooperation and trade.
Serbia is formally seeking to join the European Union, but Brussels has criticized Belgrade's continued warm ties with Moscow.
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