President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić visited Kyiv, where he participated in the Ukraine–Southeastern Europe summit. During the visit to the Ukrainian capital, he stated that Belgrade supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, and promised to help with the reconstruction of one of the cities. However, he refused to sign the final declaration of the summit, which contained condemnation of Russia and calls for tighter sanctions. What else did Vučić say in Kyiv and how was his trip viewed in Russia — in the article by Gazeta.Ru.
On July 15, on Ukrainian Statehood Day, the fifth Ukraine–Southeastern Europe summit took place in Kyiv, among the foreign leaders attending was Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
"I traveled all day and night from Paris through Moldova and Central Ukraine to get to Kyiv. I'm a bit tired, but I will fight and defend Serbia," he said upon arrival in the Ukrainian capital.
During his visit, the Serbian leader emphasized that Belgrade remains committed to the principle of indivisibility of Ukrainian territories.
"We support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and are deeply grateful to Ukraine for doing the same for us," the Serbian leader told journalists, and promised that Belgrade would help Kyiv with European integration.
Separately, Vučić addressed the issue of providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine. "When we talk about this, it is about supporting the financial, medical, and energy sectors. And I am not entirely satisfied with everything we have done so far, because there is one thing we promised but have not yet fulfilled, and we will fix it soon," the Serbian president shared.
According to him, Belgrade intends to increase participation in the reconstruction of one of the Ukrainian cities.
At the same time, he did not sign the final declaration of the summit, which condemned Russia. The document was approved by the presidents of Ukraine, Albania, Greece, Moldova, and Romania, the prime ministers of Croatia and Slovenia, representatives of North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Bulgaria, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
"I am the only one who did not sign this declaration. Look at its text, it will be clearer to you, and I don't need to explain anything further," Vučić commented on his decision (quoted by Politika).
The document, in particular, contains calls for tightening sanctions against Russia, continuing military and financial support for Kyiv, statements in support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
Vučić noted that the summit mainly discussed issues of weapons and drones. However, he emphasized that Serbia is a neutral country and would not want the agenda of the event to evoke "negative associations."
The Serbian leader also said that he discussed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a transport corridor to Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. This requires "significant investments" from Serbia, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine, he noted.
Vučić stressed that he came to Kyiv "to protect Serbian national interests." "That is why people ultimately voted for me. This is my job," the Serbian leader added.
In June 2025, Vučić attended the "Southeastern Europe – Ukraine" summit in Odesa. He also refused to sign the final document then. At the same time, Vučić emphasized that he is proud of Serbia's independent policy.
"That is on his conscience."
In the Kremlin, Vučić's visit to Kyiv was commented on briefly — Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov stressed that Moscow did not convey any messages to Kyiv through the politician.
"So far, Serbia has had nothing to do with mediation efforts on the Ukrainian settlement," he explained.
At the same time, Moscow hears Vučić's statements about supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, said First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Alexei Chepa in an interview with Lenta.ru. The parliamentarian noted that Vučić has been making "some strange statements" lately.
"These statements are far from the wishes of the people. That is on his conscience. Of course, we hear all this, see it, and draw appropriate conclusions," Chepa said.
However, Belgrade has not transformed its foreign policy toward supporting Ukraine, said political scientist, Chairman of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, Scientific Director of the Valdai International Discussion Club Fyodor Lukyanov.
"Vučić came to Kyiv, to the 'Southeastern Europe – Ukraine' summit, which is being held there with the participation of Ukraine, the head of the European Commission, and so on. It is clear that the very choice of location is politically charged, but strictly speaking, this is not a visit to Ukraine, not a visit to Zelensky specifically, but simply attendance at an international event... No demonstrative turns are happening here," he told Gazeta.Ru.
