Zelensky to pay official visit to Serbia on Saturday; Vucic: Ukraine has not recognized Kosovo, and we must respect that

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, August 8, during his official visit to Serbia. Speaking about the upcoming visit, Vucic recalled that Ukraine has not recognized Kosovo's independence and noted that it had hosted two Southeast Europe–Ukraine summits on its territory without inviting representatives of Pristina to either event.

"These are things that we must respect," the Serbian president said.

According to Vucic, several important topics will be discussed during his talks with the Ukrainian president, including the European integration paths of Ukraine and Serbia, bilateral economic cooperation, and energy cooperation.

"The President of Ukraine is coming on his first bilateral visit. We have met five or six times so far, mostly at various summits and conferences. We have several important issues to discuss. One is the European path of Ukraine and Serbia, because we are in a somewhat similar position and face the same or similar challenges in our European integration process. I believe we will discuss how we can help one another in this regard, if possible, and learn from each other's experiences," Vucic said in response to journalists' questions after welcoming Serbian firefighters and rescue personnel returning from assisting with wildfire operations in Spain, as reported by RTV.

He said that the second topic would be bilateral economic cooperation and the third energy cooperation between Serbia and Ukraine.

Vucic added that, apart from these key issues, all other topics remain open for discussion.

"We will also discuss our cooperation in the fields of culture, sports, and many other areas," the Serbian president said.

Responding to a question on whether Zelensky's visit signals that Serbia will join sanctions against Russia, Vucic stressed that Serbia had established its policy on sanctions nearly five years ago and that it would not change for the foreseeable future.

"As for sanctions, let me answer directly: Serbia has established its policy. I am certain that Volodymyr Zelensky will, in accordance with his own position and the circumstances his country is facing, express his views on sanctions against the Russian Federation. However, almost five years ago, the Republic of Serbia set out its own position, and we have not changed it since. That policy will remain unchanged for the time being," President Vucic said.

This will be Zelensky's first official visit to Belgrade since assuming office as President of Ukraine.