Zelenskyy's visit to Serbia signals Putin is not winning Ukraine war, says analyst

The visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Serbia is a clear indicator that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not achieving victory in the ongoing war, according to political scientist Boris Varga. Speaking to N1, Varga highlighted that while this marks Zelenskyy's first official visit to Serbia, there have been over ten political contacts between the leaders since mid-2023.

Varga explained that although direct cooperation between Ukraine and Serbia may not yield significant results, the indirect interests are substantial. For Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian military, Serbia is important as a source for acquiring weaponry through intermediaries. Concurrently, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić requires Western support, particularly from the United States and the European Union, especially with upcoming elections, as international attention increasingly focuses on autocratic tendencies and electoral standards in Serbia.

From Ukraine's perspective, Serbia is viewed as an ally of Moscow, and Zelenskyy's visit is being celebrated as another international triumph over Putin. Both Ukraine and Serbia are EU candidate countries, and Varga suggested that healthy and beneficial cooperation could be built on shared interests in areas such as trade, energy, and the electro-industry, which Russia is actively destroying in Ukraine. He also pointed to the potential for collaboration in new military technologies, including IT, drones, and artificial intelligence, areas that have been transformed by the war and are seeing increased adoption in Europe.

Despite these potential areas of cooperation, Varga observed that Serbia's foreign policy and societal attitudes will likely continue to embrace historical Russophilia. He noted a lack of understanding among some Serbians regarding Ukraine's right to self-determination and defense, attributing this sentiment to a failure to confront the wars of the 1990s, which he believes contributes to Serbia's current stance toward its neighbors mirroring Russia's approach to Ukraine.