Serbia: Zelenskyy welcomed by Serbia's Vucic in Belgrade on first visit to Balkan nation.

SHOTLIST: BELGRADE, SERBIA (AUG. 8, 2026) 1. FLAGS OF UKRAINE AND SERBIA 2. SERBIAN PRESIDENT ALEKSANDAR VUCIC GREETING UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY 3. VARIOUS OF UKRAINIAN AND SERBIAN NATIONAL ANTHEMS BEING PLAYED 4. VARIOUS OF ZELENSKYY AND VUCIC SALUTING GUARD OF HONOR 5. VARIOUS OF ZELENSKYY AND VUCIC HOLDING MEETING INSIDEBELGRADE, SERBIA - AUG. 8: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was officially welcomed by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade on Saturday, Aug. 8, during his official visit to the Serbian capital. Zelenskyy arrived in Serbia on Friday, marking his first visit to the Balkan nation since taking office. The visit, Zelenskyy’s first to the Balkan nation since assuming office in 2019, was first announced by Vucic's office on Thursday. The same day, the Serbian president told journalists that the meeting would touch on their countries' paths to EU accession, as well as economic and energy cooperation, according to Serbian broadcaster RTS. Last month, Vucic traveled to Kyiv for the 5th Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit, but did not sign a post-summit declaration that condemned Russia amid the ongoing Ukraine war. Serbia has been an official candidate for EU membership since 2012 and formally opened accession negotiations in 2014. While progress has been made on several chapters, talks have slowed in recent years due to concerns over Belgrade’s alignment with EU foreign policy, particularly regarding sanctions on Russia, with which Serbia maintains close relations.