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Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Saturday that Serbia will continue to support Ukraine's territorial integrity, as he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Belgrade for the first time.
Vucic welcomed Zelenskyy with an official ceremony at the Palace of Serbia in the capital before the two leaders held talks and addressed reporters.
Speaking at a joint news conference, Vucic said they discussed several issues, including strengthening bilateral relations.
Vucic underlined that Serbia supports the territorial integrity of all United Nations members.
"This also includes Ukraine's territorial integrity," Vucic said. "We will continue to pursue our policy within this principle. There is no 'but' to this."
Vucic said he and Zelenskyy also discussed the European Union membership processes of Ukraine and Serbia.
"Serbia will always give full support to Ukraine's EU journey," he said.
Serbia has been an official candidate for EU membership since 2012 and formally opened accession negotiations in 2014.
Vucic said Serbia understands Ukraine's desire to complete its EU membership process quickly, adding that Belgrade assesses that its own EU membership is "not possible" in the near future for various political reasons.
The two sides also signed a cooperation protocol in the fields of animal health and food safety between Serbia's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management and Ukraine's State Service on Food Safety and Consumer Protection.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine was facing severe energy challenges ahead of winter after repeated Russian strikes on its power infrastructure.
"We also talked about the challenges of this winter for Ukraine, when we practically do not have a single whole thermal power plant left because of Russian strikes," Zelenskyy said.
He said Russian attacks had also damaged train stations, hospitals, universities and civilian businesses.
Speaking alongside Vucic, Zelenskyy said the two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation, including energy, infrastructure, food security and Ukraine's reconstruction.
He thanked Serbia for its support and said Belgrade would provide a new package of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, particularly in the medical and energy sectors.
Zelenskyy also called for accelerating negotiations on a free trade agreement between Ukraine and Serbia, saying the two countries should aim to finalize preparations by the end of the year.
Zelenskyy said the two leaders also discussed diplomatic efforts to end the war, stressing that Kyiv seeks "a decent peace" and guaranteed security.
"We want to use all available opportunities in Washington and Beijing, in the capitals of Europe, our partners in the Middle East and the Gulf, and in all capitals of the world that have influence on these processes," he said.
Zelenskyy arrived in Serbia on Friday, marking his first visit to the Balkan country since taking office in 2019.
In a statement on X confirming his arrival, Zelenskyy said he had "important" talks scheduled with Vucic and Serbian Prime Minister Duro Macut.
"We will discuss expanding economic ties between our countries, relations with the European Union, other areas that can benefit our nations, and security issues," Zelenskyy said.
He said Ukraine is "always ready to work constructively, for mutual benefit, and on the basis of mutual respect."
A senior Ukrainian official earlier described Zelenskyy's visit to Serbia, Moscow's traditional ally, as "a slap in the face for the Russians."
Serbia is historically close to Russia and has refused to impose sanctions on Moscow over its war against Ukraine, a position that has irritated the EU and slowed Belgrade's accession path.
Vucic has held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow during the war and has repeatedly said he will not change his position on sanctions.
At the same time, Serbia has provided nonmilitary aid to Kyiv.
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The Kremlin has accused Serbian firms of selling munitions to Ukraine, a claim Vucic has repeatedly denied.
Last month, Vucic traveled to Kyiv for the 5th Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit but did not sign a post-summit declaration that condemned Russia and called for continued political, military, financial and security support for Ukraine, as well as increased pressure on Moscow.
After the summit, Vucic said he was "not entirely" satisfied with the level of assistance Serbia had provided to Ukraine.
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