Why did Serbia's pro-Russian president decide to visit Ukraine?
A little over a month has passed since Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić visited Moscow to participate in the 9 May military parade. Regardless of how the Serbian president tried to justify this step, it was unequivocally perceived as support for Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.
And now, just a month later, Vučić arrives in Odesa to take part in the Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit. Notably, this was his first visit to Ukraine, unlike his numerous visits to Russia.
Read more about waht lies behind the Serbian president’s visit to Ukraine in the column by Yurii Panchenko, European Pravda's editor: Transit Moscow–Odesa: What’s behind the visit of the pro-Russian Serbian president to Ukraine.
To answer this question, Panchenko argues, it is important to recall Serbia’s policy of "multi-vector diplomacy," which allows Aleksandar Vučić to avoid sharp criticism from the West, Russia, and China alike.
"To each of these global powers, Vučić offers certain privileges. For example, to Russia – preferential access to the privatisation of Serbia’s energy sector; to China – participation in infrastructure projects. Serbia is trying to build similar relations with Western countries. In particular, Belgrade is increasingly purchasing military equipment from France. As for Germany, it is allowed access to lithium extraction projects of strategic importance," Panchenko reminds us.
According to him, Serbia has not taken Russia’s side, recognises Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and even claims to have good relations with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"Within this strategy, a visit to Odesa looks like a logical step. After his trip to Moscow, Vučić needed to take a step ‘in the opposite direction’ in order to maintain an equal distance from the conflict," notes the European Pravda editor.
This raises another question: why would Kyiv give Vučić the opportunity to "save face"? Moreover, Panchenko points out, Ukraine deliberately extended a hand to Vučić.
The columnist suggests paying attention to a recent scandal in Serbian politics following Russian accusations that Serbia had supplied ammunition to Ukraine.
It is believed, Panchenko writes, that the ammunition supply scheme was one of the tools Vučić used to "buy" the loyalty of international leaders. However, this was more of a concession to the United States than to Ukraine – specifically, to the Biden administration.
Clearly, the new course of Donald Trump’s administration has changed the situation, and maintaining a stable supply of ammunition, the columnist emphasises, remains an extremely important issue for Kyiv.
"Therefore, the summit in Odesa was a good opportunity to communicate this to the Serbian president. In particular – to convey the idea that no humanitarian initiatives or participation in reconstruction can compensate for the refusal to sell ammunition needed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine," writes the European Pravda editor.