Posted August 22, 2023 at 9:11 a.m. ET
Bottom row from left: President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis, President of the European Council Charles Michel , President of Moldova Maia Sandu, President of Montenegro Jakov Milatovic and top row from left to right: Romanian President Marcel Ciolacu, Prime Minister of North Macedonia Dimitar Kovacevski, Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic, the first Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti, President of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borjana Kristo and Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov pose for a family photo at the Maximos mansion in Athens, Greece, Monday, August 21, 2023. (Thanassis Stavrakis/AP Photo)
ATHENS, GREECE — Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy met with leaders of Balkan countries and the head of the European Commission on Tuesday on the sidelines of a meeting between European and Balkan leaders in the Greek capital.
Among the leaders was Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, whose country refused to join international sanctions imposed on its traditional ally Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
“An open, honest and fruitful meeting with the President of Serbia,” Zelenskyy posted on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “A good conversation about respect for the United Nations Charter and the inviolability of borders. About the common destiny of our nations in the common European home. About the development of our relations, it is in our mutual interest.”
It was the first time Zelensky, who arrived in Athens on Monday afternoon, met with Vucic since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began last year.
Speaking to reporters, Vucic described the meeting as “good and open.”
“I repeated that Serbia respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine, unlike some who respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but not Serbia,” Vucic said, referring to the former Serbian province of Kosovo, which declared its independence in 2008 and is recognized by most countries in the European Union. United States, but not by Russia and China.
Ukraine also does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, but there have been recent signs that it may do so due to Belgrade’s pro-Moscow rhetoric on the war.
Vucic said after the meeting with Zelenskyy that he was “almost certain” that Ukraine would not recognize Kosovo.
The Serbian president, whose country is seeking EU membership, said he “managed to ensure” that a formal statement issued after Monday’s meeting in Athens of Balkan leaders did not include text on sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.
“There are things we are not ready for right now,” Vucic said. “As much as we could, we protected our interests.”
Zelensky also met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, whom he thanked “for her efforts to normalize Ukraine’s agricultural exports and transit.”
Von der Leyen said the two discussed “Ukraine’s progress on the EU path as well as our continued support in the face of Russia’s aggression.”
“We will continue to work together to bring Ukrainian grain to world markets and to provide economic assistance,” she tweeted.
Ukraine’s economy is largely based on agriculture and its grains are crucial to the world’s supply of wheat, barley and sunflower oil.
Last month, Russia broke a key wartime maritime agreement that allowed the safe passage of grain exports through the Black Sea.
The suspension marks the end of a deal negotiated last year by the United Nations and Turkey to allow food shipments from the Black Sea region, after Russia’s invasion of its neighbor worsened the global food crisis. The initiative was credited with helping to reduce soaring prices of wheat, vegetable oil and other global food products.
In Athens, Zelensky also met with Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov, North Macedonian President Dimitar Kovachevski and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.
