Vucic: Serbia will continue to respect the UN Charter; Zelensky: Our position on Kosovo remains unchanged

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stressed today, following talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Belgrade, that Serbia will continue to pursue a principled policy of respecting the UN Charter and UN resolutions, which means respecting the territorial integrity of UN member states, including Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country's position of not recognizing Kosovo remains unchanged.

At a joint press conference, Vucic said it was a great honor to host the Ukrainian president, recalling that the last visit by a Ukrainian head of state to Belgrade took place eight years ago.

He emphasized that Ukraine is a friendly country to Serbia.

"We discussed various topics. Most importantly, I emphasized that Serbia, and I as its President, respect the UN Charter and UN resolutions, which means that we respect the territorial integrity of all UN member states, including the territorial integrity of Ukraine," Vucic stressed.

He expressed gratitude to Ukraine for supporting Serbia's territorial integrity.

"We will continue to pursue this principled policy. On issues such as these, there are no 'buts'; our position is very precise and clear," Vucic emphasized.

He said that he and Zelensky had also discussed the European paths of the two countries.

"As far as Serbia is concerned, Ukraine will always have our country's full support on its European path.

We will not make comments suggesting that someone else should be held back simply because we cannot open a particular cluster. We want Ukraine to open as many clusters as possible, as soon as possible. That is the will of the Ukrainian people, and we have never had, nor will we ever have, any problem with that. We will do everything we can to help Ukraine on its European path," the Serbian president said.

Vucic said that he understood Ukraine's desire to open as many clusters as possible and achieve EU membership as quickly as possible, but added that, as President of Serbia, he currently saw little prospect of Serbia joining the European Union in the near future, primarily for a number of political reasons.

He stressed that he fully stands behind what he wrote together with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and believes that a common market and open borders would be the most important steps for the region, adding that such an arrangement would also benefit Ukraine, Moldova, and other Eastern European countries.

"That is the reality. I do not believe that all Europeans will be favorably disposed toward Ukraine's membership. They always find someone; in our case, they will always find Croatia, some Bulgarians, or the Dutch. Nevertheless, I fully understand Ukraine's hopes, and as far as Serbia is concerned, we will never say, 'Admit us first because we started the process earlier, and do not admit Ukraine,'" Vucic added.

He emphasized that Serbia must focus on continuing its economic progress, noting that, according to Eurostat, GDP growth stood at 3.5 percent in the first half of this year.

"The idea of a single market is of crucial importance to all of us. Ukraine has abundant natural resources and hardworking people, and I believe Serbia does as well, which would also be important for the EU. If you ask me whether I believe there will be unanimity within the EU on accelerating the integration process, I do not. It has turned out that my skepticism was justified," Vucic stressed.

He said that the issue was not solely one of merit-based progress.

"We fulfilled all four of the four conditions set for opening Cluster Three, yet it has not been opened because there are always countries that find something to object to. I am a realist, and I believe that the mood within the EU and the political crises in certain member states are so profound that it will be very difficult to achieve anything substantial in the period ahead. Serbia will focus on economic growth, concluding as many free trade agreements as possible, and expanding trade with as many countries as possible. We understood the messages coming from certain EU member states a long time ago," Vucic explained.

President Vucic stated that Serbia and Ukraine have significantly increased their bilateral trade.

"Last year, trade amounted to around 450 million U.S. dollars. In the first six months of this year alone, it was already significantly higher, at around 321 million U.S. dollars. I believe that our most important import from Ukraine is iron ore. Through cooperation in agriculture, energy, and other sectors, I believe our trade can increase considerably," Vucic said.

He added that they had also discussed joint infrastructure projects and the involvement of Ukrainian companies in Serbia.

"I believe we can achieve good and very significant results in the future. I was genuinely impressed by Ukraine's railway network when I recently traveled to Kyiv, and I believe there is much we can learn from Ukraine and its state-owned companies in this regard. We can also work together to improve Serbia's transport network," Vucic said.

He stated that they had discussed various forms and levels of humanitarian assistance.

"We discussed everything we have done so far. There is always more that can be done, and I believe our Ukrainian friends will be somewhat more satisfied in the future. We have already allocated significant assistance in medicines, and I believe that, when it comes to the energy sector and various types of equipment Ukraine needs, particularly for the winter period, we will genuinely help as much as we can," Vucic emphasized.

He thanked the Ukrainian president for consistently supporting Serbia on its European path.

"I must say this for the benefit of Serbia's citizens: you have never heard a single bad word about our country from Volodymyr Zelensky or anyone else on the Ukrainian side. I am extremely grateful to our Ukrainian friends for that, and I believe that in the period ahead we can achieve significant results in mining, energy, and particularly agriculture," Vucic stressed.

He noted that, in addition to iron ore, Serbia imports commodity soybeans, soybean meal, and flaxseed from Ukraine, while Serbia exports fruit seedlings, sunflower seeds, and baby food, adding that the two countries want to raise their cooperation to the highest possible level.

"The final point I would make is that I expressed the hope that, once the war is over, our cooperation will become significantly stronger and broader, including in foreign trade. We could jointly export certain products and enter third markets, particularly in Africa and Asia. I believe important discussions still lie ahead in which we can further develop these forms of cooperation," Vucic said.

He also announced that Serbia would open a drone factory with Israeli partners in September.

Zelensky: Grateful for Serbia's support for Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country's position of not recognizing Kosovo remains unchanged.

"Our position on the non-recognition of Kosovo remains unchanged. We are grateful to Serbia for respecting Ukraine's territorial integrity, including, without any doubt, Crimea. Serbia's position on this remains unchanged, including at the United Nations," Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president expressed his gratitude to President Vucic for supporting the Ukrainian people and Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity.

"We deeply appreciate your support," Zelensky said.

He said that the situation in Ukraine remained difficult and that people had been killed and injured in Russian drone attacks the previous night.

"The shelling was tragic. Thirteen people were killed in Russian attacks over the past 24 hours," Zelensky said, adding that there was not a single power plant in the country that had not been attacked.

"This truly is a terrible tragedy, the tragedy of Russian aggression against independent Ukraine. I would like to express my condolences to all the families and loved ones of the victims. Seventy-seven people were injured across the country, 12 regions were attacked, and virtually every day and every night, now in the fifth year of the war, Ukraine is being forced to persevere and withstand all of this," Zelensky said.

He stated that most Russian attacks were directed at facilities essential to people's daily lives.

"We do not have a single power plant that has not been attacked. Railway stations, hospitals, universities, and public facilities have also been targeted. In a war like this, we deeply appreciate every form of support Ukraine receives from other countries and other peoples. Of course, we are developing every form of cooperation that can give our people, our cities, and our communities greater resilience and the ability to endure all the challenges of this war," Zelensky said.

He added that Ukraine was grateful that Serbia was planning a new humanitarian aid package, particularly in the healthcare and energy sectors.

"This is extremely important to us, and thank you, Mr. President," Zelensky emphasized.

"We deeply appreciate every form of support from other countries and peoples. We are developing every form of cooperation that can give our people greater resilience to withstand the challenges of this war. We are grateful to Serbia for the new humanitarian aid package in healthcare and energy. It is of exceptional importance to us," Zelensky said.

He added that they had also discussed all diplomatic opportunities that could help bring the war in Ukraine to an end.

"It is important that people everywhere in the world know—and this is the truth and a fact—that we want a dignified peace and that every opportunity should be used to achieve peace and guarantee security.

Every available possibility and opportunity in Washington, Beijing, European capitals, among our partners in the Middle East, the Gulf countries, and all other capitals around the world that could influence these processes should be used," Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president also thanked everyone in Serbia who had welcomed Ukrainians with care and compassion.

"We will never forget your kindness toward our Ukrainians. I thank all of you. And I thank you, Aleksandar, for this invitation and for your support. I wish your country peace and only peace, because we understand that it is the most precious thing people have. Thank you. Glory to Ukraine!" Zelensky concluded.