Tolkach: Serbia has been helping Ukraine both humanitarianly and financially from the beginning

The Ambassador of Ukraine to Serbia, Volodymyr Tolkach, stated, ahead of the third anniversary of the war, that all Ukrainians believe this will be the last one. However, he emphasized that it is still too early to discuss the outcome of potential peace negotiations and that only the Russian side can stop the war. He also pointed out that Serbia has been helping Ukraine both humanitarianly and financially from the beginning, for which he is grateful.

"It’s not that I just want to be polite—I truly want to say thank you because Serbia has provided us with all the humanitarian support it could. Serbia donated ambulances for our civilians, which are now in Dnipro and Sumy. Additionally, a significant amount of medical equipment and medicines were donated, as well as electrical equipment, which has been very useful to us," Tolkach said in an interview with the Beta news agency.

He added that assistance from Belgrade also arrived through various United Nations agencies.

He also mentioned the active dialogue between the two First Ladies, Olena Zelenska and Tamara Vucic.

The ambassador further stated that all Ukrainians believe this will be the last year of the war.

"But unfortunately, we believed that after the first and the second anniversaries as well, yet the war continues, and we cannot say what will happen. Our people are very tired because this is a sensitive and painful issue for us. Secondly, we have lost many defenders, which also has negative consequences for our society," Tolkach said.

Recently, senior officials from the U.S. administration and Russia met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and agreed to seek peace negotiations in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Ukrainian and European officials were not included in these talks, despite President Volodymyr Zelensky insisting on their participation.

Tolkach stated that peace in Ukraine cannot be discussed without Ukraine itself.

"I think that is understandable. We are currently in the first phase of negotiations; there are many rumors and proposals, but all interested and involved parties must negotiate together. That must include Russia, Ukraine, the United States as a country that has provided significant support to Ukraine, as well as the neighboring European Union," he said.

He emphasized that there is a lot of discussion about how to stop the war, but a ceasefire is only the first phase—Ukraine needs a security system for the future.

In this regard, he said that such security would be provided through NATO membership, although he "very well" understands that Serbia has a different experience with the alliance.

Regarding reports from Kyiv suggesting that territorial exchanges could be discussed within peace negotiations, Tolkach stated that this primarily concerns the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Russia’s Kursk region, which they have occupied.

"We are ready to withdraw our troops from that territory, but we need to see the same step from the Russian side," the ambassador noted.

He added that Ukraine still considers Donbas and Crimea to be occupied territories and will attempt to reclaim them.

"It is just the beginning of the process; we are trying to establish our positions, and we will see how things develop," Ambassador Tolkach stated.