Imeri after the Zelensky–Vučić meeting: Ukrainian president approached “Putin’s shadow” in the Balkans

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Belgrade and meeting with his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vučić, have been commented on by security affairs expert Dorajt Imeri.

In a post on X, Imeri criticized Zelensky’s rapprochement with the Serbian president, describing Vučić as “Putin’s shadow in the Balkans.” “Volodymyr Zelensky, you have just embraced Putin’s shadow in the Balkans: Aleksandar Vučić. I have to say this: you risk being deeply disappointed by this effort to find new friends in your war. Serbia has not condemned Russia’s aggression against your country,” he wrote.

During a joint press conference in Belgrade, Zelensky stated that Ukraine’s position on Kosovo’s independence had not changed.

“We respect the territorial integrity of our partners and international law. Regarding Kosovo, our position remains unchanged. We are grateful to Serbia for respecting Ukraine’s territorial integrity, including Crimea,” the Ukrainian president said.

Ukraine does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, which was declared in 2008. Nevertheless, Kosovo has aligned itself with European Union and United States sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, while Pristina has also provided shelter to Ukrainian journalists who left the country because of the conflict.

Vučić, for his part, said that military cooperation had also been discussed during his talks with Zelensky. Serbia is one of the few European countries that has not joined sanctions against Russia, which launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“What will happen when the war ends is another matter,” said Vučić, who received Zelensky on his first official visit to Serbia.

The Serbian president also announced that a drone factory would open in Serbia in mid-September, in cooperation with Israeli partners.

“The Ukrainians are very successful and have many of their own drone factories,” Vučić added.

Zelensky, meanwhile, stressed that Ukraine is seeking a dignified peace and that every opportunity that could lead to achieving it must be used, Radio Free Europe reports.