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From May 8 to 10, 2025, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić visited Moscow to participate in celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany. The visit caused significant international resonance and highlighted the balance that Serbia is trying to maintain between its traditional ties with Russia and its pursuit of membership in the European Union (EU).
Serbia has close historical relations with Russia, in particular due to cultural and religious ties and a common position on the issue of Kosovo, which Moscow does not recognize as an independent state. Russia also remains an important energy partner for Belgrade through Gazprom and Gazprom Neft, which own over 50% of the state-owned company NIS.
Despite all preliminary doubts, President Vučić traveled to Moscow at the head of a large government delegation. Until the last moment, it was unclear whether Vučić would travel, as his actions are unpredictable and no one, even in his closest circle, was sure that this visit would take place. Vučić made a decision at the last minute, and the unwavering determination of the President of Republika Srpska Milolad Dodik to attend the parade in Moscow probably contributed to this. Against this background, a possible refusal by Vučić to travel to Moscow would be interpreted by the Serbs as a manifestation of fear. Curiously, Dodik, who has had an arrest warrant since March, arrived in Moscow without any problems, while Vučić’s plane was denied permission to fly over the Baltic republics and Poland. In the end, he flew over Bulgaria to Baku, where he also had to wait for permission to take off in Moscow.
The meeting between Aleksandar Vučić and Vladimir Putin and the talks held between the two on May 10 can be assessed as unprecedented, as they have not met for 5 years.
Main results of Vučić’s visit:
Participation in the Victory Parade: Alexander Vučić attended the solemn military parade in Moscow, fulfilling his promise to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He stressed that this participation is important for Serbia and that he has kept his word given to Putin. The fulfilled promise has even greater value, since Vučić turned out to be the only European state leader at the parade (if you do not count the President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik, leader of the Serbian entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina). Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was also in Moscow, but he only laid flowers at the Eternal Flame Memorial and the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, without attending the parade itself at the tribune of Lenin’s Mausoleum.
During the Russian-Serbian talks, key topics such as energy cooperation, including gas supplies, the Kosovo issue and international relations were discussed. President Vučić expressed gratitude for Russia’s support for Serbia’s territorial integrity and stressed the importance of strengthening bilateral relations.
The available public information does not provide details on the results of the negotiations. However, the composition of the two delegations is very indicative of the topics of the negotiations, which is why it is worth listing the participants by name.
The Serbian delegation included: Nenad Popović, Minister without Portfolio, responsible for relations with Russia, Zlatibor Lončar, Minister of Health, Tatjana Jović, Foreign Policy Advisor to the President, Dragutin Matanović, Advisor to the President, Dušan Bajtović, Director of the state-owned company Srbijagaz, and Momčilo Babić, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Serbia to the Russian Federation.
The Russian side was represented by an impressive, almost twice as large delegation, including: Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration, Dmitry Peskov, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration and Press Secretary of the President, Alexander Babakov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and Special Representative of the President for Interaction with Compatriots’ Organizations Abroad, Yuri Ushakov, Assistant to the President for Foreign Policy, Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Economic Development and Chairman of the Russian Part of the Intergovernmental Russian-Serbian Committee for Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, Sergey Tsivilev, Minister of Energy, Dmitry Shugaev, Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, Special Representative of the President for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries and General Director of JSC “Managing Company of the Russian Direct Investment Fund”, Alexander Dyukov, Chairman of the Management Board of PJSC “Gazprom Neft”, Alexey Likhachev, Director General of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, and Alexander Mikheev, Director General of JSC Rosoboronexport.
The presence of high-ranking representatives of the Russian state arms sector is a signal that bilateral military-technical cooperation is only frozen, but not terminated.
Among the results of the Russian-Serbian negotiations, the most important is the discussion of energy cooperation:
The two presidents negotiated a new gas agreement between Serbia and Russia, as the current contract expires in May this year. Putin stressed that energy is the main area of cooperation between the two countries, noting that Russia provides as much as 85 percent of Serbia’s energy needs and remains the guarantor of its energy security.
According to the Serbian president, the negotiations were difficult, but he expressed hope for a successful finalization of the contract. During the talks, Vučić requested an agreement on the most favorable price for Russian gas for Serbia, which will probably be implemented. The details and terms of the new contract are currently being negotiated between experts from both sides and it is likely to be signed by May 31.The contract is expected to last 10 years and be worth 2.5 billion euros annually.
Among the main topics was the fate of NIS and in particular the Russian ownership shares in the company. Vučić was also supposed to talk to Trump about the US sanctions against NIS, but he abruptly cut short his visit to the US for health reasons. Vučić does indeed have heart problems, which are only aggravated by years of psychological pressure from both the domestic opposition and the EU.
The ruling party in Serbia considers it “fantastic” that during his visit to Moscow, President Aleksandar Vučić managed to meet with the heads of state of Russia and China – world superpowers that support Serbia’s position on Kosovo.
On the other hand, the patriotic opposition in Serbia and the leaders of the six-month protests did not know how to react to the president’s visit to Russia, which is why they were passive for a while.
Reactions from the European Union:
Vučić’s visit to Moscow was met with criticism from the EU. The European Parliament adopted a resolution expressing concern about Serbia’s inconsistency with EU foreign policy, especially in the context of the war in Ukraine.
The European Commission said that it “strongly regrets” that the Serbian leadership participated in the celebration of Victory Day in Moscow, because Russia was using that day for propaganda purposes. Brussels said that it expected Serbia “to convincingly prove its strategic orientation toward the EU” and clearly demonstrate its commitment to European values.
Vučić, for his part, assured that Serbia remains committed to its European integration and will continue the necessary reforms.
Vučić’s presence at the parade was criticized by some European leaders. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the participation of European leaders in the event “brings shame” to themselves, especially given the ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine.
After returning from Moscow, Vučić met with European Council President António Costa to discuss Serbia’s path towards the EU. Costa stressed the need for Serbia to clearly condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and to align itself with the EU in foreign policy.
“The atmosphere in the European Union is not good, and I am aware of this trip to Moscow,” Vučić admitted. “However, I am convinced that Europe will recognize the progress made on the basis of the achievements.” He reiterated that EU membership remains a “strategic priority” for Serbia.
As part of his visit to Serbia, European Council President António Costa met with Serbian National Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabić on 13 May, who said that EU membership was Belgrade’s most important foreign policy priority. Serbia continues to strive for full EU membership.
Vučić took full personal responsibility for his visit to Moscow to deflect EU criticism of his country. However, the European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia, Tonino Picula, has been highly critical of Aleksandar Vucic’s visit to Moscow and expressed skepticism about Belgrade’s opening of Cluster 3 to Serbian media. It is possible that Picula, a Croat, could play the role of the “bad cop” in relations with Belgrade.
Asked by media representatives whether Serbia would open a new cluster in negotiations with the EU soon, as announced by President Vucic, the Commission replied that concrete decisions were passed by the EU’s member states, but that reforms were a precondition for progress in the accession process.
According to the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and Head of the Parliamentary Committee on European Integration, Elvira Kovač, Serbia should try to make the best use of the Polish presidency of the Council of the EU to make progress in the accession process, as the Council will then be headed by Denmark, which may be “more critical” and less focused on EU enlargement.
President Vučić’s visit to Moscow highlights the complex foreign policy position of Serbia, which seeks to maintain its traditional ties with Russia while advancing on the path to EU membership. This balance requires careful diplomacy and a clear definition of the country’s priorities in the context of the changing geopolitical environment. Belgrade is currently trying to maintain a balance between its European obligations and its traditional relations with Moscow and Beijing. However, given the EU’s stricter demands in the current geopolitical context, this position may become increasingly untenable for President Vučić.
Photo: kremlin.ru
