Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic makes first-ever visit to Ukraine

Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic travelled to the Ukrainian city of Odesa for a regional summit on Wednesday, the first time the Moscow-friendly leader has visited the country during his 12 years in power.

Vucic travelled to Ukraine for one day to take part in the Ukraine-Southeastern Europe Summit in the Black Sea port of Odesa, which this week faced a major Russian drone and missile attack.

Senior politicians from 12 Southeastern European nations also took part in the summit, which was hosted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

At the summit, Vucic, who has previously met Zelenskiy at least three times, said Serbia could help Kyiv in the renewal of Ukraine's war-torn regions.

Vucic who balances relations between Russia and the West, said he abstained from signing the joint declaration at the summit, reflecting Serbia's bid to maintain good ties with both Kyiv and Moscow.

"By protecting our (Serbia's) interests I am partially protecting both Russian and Ukrainian interests alike ... as we are protecting interests of international ... law," he said in remarks to Serbian journalists.

The joint declaration supports Ukraine’s efforts to find a diplomatic path to a just and lasting peace, and includes a call to the international community to intensify its support for Kyiv and refrain from offering material or other assistance to Russia’s war effort.

Serbia wants to join the European Union, but Russia, a traditional Slavic and Orthodox Christian ally, remains its biggest gas supplier, and the country's sole oil refinery is majority-owned by Gazprom and Gazprom Neft.

Although Belgrade has refused to join Western sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, it has condemned Moscow's policies in the United Nations and expressed support for Ukraine's territorial integrity.

Belgrade recognises Ukraine in its entirety, including territories seized by Russia since 2014, while Kyiv refused to recognise the 2008 independence of Kosovo, Serbia's predominantly Albanian former southern province.

In late May, the SVR, the Russian foreign intelligence service, accused Belgrade of "a stab in the back", alleging Serbia's defence manufacturers were selling ammunition and weapons to Ukraine via intermediaries.

According to a classified Pentagon document leaked online, Serbia in 2023 agreed to supply arms to Kyiv, despite the country's professed military neutrality. Moscow has criticised Belgrade several times over the issue. Serbia has denied it ever supplied arms to Ukraine but has said it has sold to other buyers worldwide.

The only Serbian president to visit Ukraine since the Balkan country became independent in 2006 was Boris Tadic in 2011. Ukraine's previous president, Petro Poroshenko, visited Serbia in 2018.