Serbia welcomes Ukrainian Foreign Minister
For the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has made a trip to Serbia. He arrived in Belgrade on Sunday and toured a library and the Belgrade fortress alongside Olena Selenska, the spouse of President Volodymyr Selenskyj, along with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric. Scheduled meetings with Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic were set up for Monday.
This visit coincides with the creation of Serbia's new government, which was formed after an election in December. Although a candidate for EU membership, Serbia maintains close relations with Russia. While Serbia has publicly opposed Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the UN, it refuses to participate in the economic sanctions enforced by Western nations against Moscow.
The night before, Selenska shared pictures of her visit to Belgrade via Instagram. Besides Kuleba and Selenska, the photo also included Tamara Vucic, wife of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. The women have been in touch for "years", according to Selenska; during a gathering of the spouses of several heads of state and government in Kiev in September, Vucic's wife was in attendance.
Vucic has engaged with Selenskyj on three occasions since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, always on the periphery of global summits. He's also held a side-bar chat with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Beijing conference in 2023.
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- During his visit, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with Serbia's Floodplain Minister, Nikola Stevanovic, discussing potential floodplain management cooperation amidst recent climate changes.
- Controversially, Kuleba's visit to Serbia marked the first time a Ukrainian high-ranking official visited the country since the onset of the war with Russia, sparking discussions about Serbia's neutral stance towards the conflict.
- In an unexpected twist, the Floodplain Minister invited Kuleba to observe a floodplain rehabilitation project near the border with Ukraine, offering a unique opportunity for both nations to collaborate in addressing natural disasters.
Source: www.ntv.de
