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Serbia–Ukraine relations

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Serbia–Ukraine relations
Map indicating locations of Serbia and Ukraine

Serbia
Ukraine

Serbia–Ukraine relations (Serbian: Односи Србије и Украјине, romanized: Odnosi Srbije i Ukrajine, Ukrainian: Українсько-сербські відносини, romanized: Ukrayins'ko-serbs'ki vidnosyny) are foreign relations between Serbia and Ukraine. Serbia, as a direct successor to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, recognized Ukraine on 15 April 1994.[1] Diplomatic relations between Ukraine and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia were established on 15 April 1994.

Since 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence, Ukraine has shown a respect to the Serbia's territorial integrity in borders of 1945 (see Socialist Republic of Serbia).

Since September 2011, Serbians and Ukrainians can stay in each other's country for up to 30 days without visas. This policy was extended and now both citizens can stay in each other's country for up to 90 days in 180 days.[2]

Both countries are members of the OSCE, Council of Europe and United Nations.

History and ethnic relations

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There are numerous Ukrainian organizations in Serbia. Ukrainian national minority has its own National Council with seat in Novi Sad. They are closely related to Pannonian Rusyns (Ruthenians). Ukrainian-Rusyn organizations have seats in Inđija, Sremska Mitrovica, Vrbas, Kula, Đurđevo, Ruski Krstur, Šid, Kucura and Subotica.[3] According to the 2002 census there were 5,354 ethnic Ukrainians in Serbia and 15,905 Rusyns, mostly living in Vojvodina.[4]

In the 18th century on territory of today's Ukraine there were two provinces populated by Serbs - New Serbia and Slavo-Serbia. By the decree of the Senate of 29 May 1753, the free lands of this area were offered for settlement to peoples of Orthodox Christian denomination in order to ensure frontier protection and development of this part of Southern steppes. Slavo-Serbia was directly governed by Russia's Governing Senate. The settlers eventually formed the Bakhmut hussar regiment in 1764. Also in 1764, Slavo-Serbia was transformed into the Donets uyezd of Yekaterinoslav Governorate (now in Dnipropetrovsk oblast, Ukraine). According to the 2001 census there were only 623 Serbs living in Ukraine (219 spoke Serbian, 104 spoke Ukrainian, 218 spoke Russian and 68 some other language).[5][6]

Political relations

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Serbia and Ukraine have been active in bilateral meetings. In January 2001, President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma paid a visit to Belgrade and met with the then President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Vojislav Koštunica. Prime Minister Dragiša Pešić, visited Ukraine in September 2001. President of Serbia and Montenegro Svetozar Marović, visited Ukraine in November 2003. Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia, Božidar Đelić, met with Oleksandr Turchynov, first deputy prime minister in Kyiv after the EBRD annual meeting where they have discussed future free trade agreement and situation in Kosovo.[7] President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko visited Serbia in June 2009, during the XVI Summit of Heads of Central European States in Novi Sad.[8]

Foreign Minister of Serbia, Goran Svilanović visited Ukraine in February 2002. Ukrainian Minister of Defense Yevhen Marchuk, visited Serbia in February 2004. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, visited Serbia in October 2004. In January 2005 Serbian Foreign minister Vuk Drašković, visited Ukraine on the occasion of the inauguration of President Viktor Yushchenko. Drašković visited Ukraine again in June 2005 and March 2006. Ukrainian Foreign minister Borys Tarasyuk visited Serbia in January 2006 and Arseniy Yatsenyuk visited Serbia in July 2007.[9]

Zoran Šami, Speaker of the National Assembly, met Ukraine's Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Volodymyr Lytvyn, during the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in Kyiv in June 2005.

Mayoress of Belgrade, Radmila Hrustanović, visited Kyiv in June 2002.

Officials of Serbia and Ukraine have had important meetings in multilateral arenas as well. The most important was the meeting between Presidents Kuchma and Koštunica at the Earth Summit 2002 in Johannesburg.[10]

PORA, a civic youth organization from Ukraine, was trained by members of the similar organization from Serbia - Otpor!. Otpor movement helped bring down the regime of Slobodan Milošević during 5th October and they trained Pora members in organizing Orange Revolution against the regime of Leonid Kuchma.[11]

In 2008, after the Serbian province of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence as the Republic of Kosovo, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee for Foreign Affairs, Oleh Bilorus, stated that "Ukraine will back Serbia's stand on Kosovo".[12] Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said that Ukraine must come up with a concept of how to regard the issue of Kosovo, either as a unique phenomenon in the world, or in the context of existence of Transdniester, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and other separatist regions.[13]

This is our brotherly nation, we have long common history, traditions and close relations with, both political, economic, and humanitarian.

— Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, about relations with Serbia (June 2009).[14]

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych stated on June 4, 2010, that the recognition of the independence of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Kosovo violates international law, "I have never recognized Abkhazia, South Ossetia or Kosovo's independence. This is a violation of international law".[15]

Slavica Đukić Dejanović, Speaker of the National Assembly, met Ukraine's Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Volodymyr Lytvyn in Kyiv in July 2010. They signed a document on cooperation between the parliaments of Ukraine and Serbia on July 7, 2010.[16]

Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister of Serbia, and Petro Poroshenko, President of Ukraine, in 2018

In April 2011, Ukraine's Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Volodymyr Lytvyn visited Serbia.[17]

In May 2011, Foreign Minister of Serbia Vuk Jeremić visited Ukraine and signed visa-free regime between the two countries.[18]

In November 2011, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov visited Serbia for the Central European Initiative summit.[19]

Serbian President Boris Tadić visited Ukraine in November 2011.[20]

There is a spiritual and religious unity of the Serbian and the Ukrainian people.

— Serbian President Boris Tadić, about relations with Ukraine (November 2011).[21]

In July 2018, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Ana Brnabić in Belgrade.[22]

Economic relations

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In 2007 exports from Serbia were US$97,700,000 and imports from Ukraine were over US$274,000,000.[23] In 2008 the trade between the countries grew by 71%.[24]

Ukraine and Serbia signed a free trade agreement in autumn 2009. Ukraine supports Serbia's intention to join the World Trade Organization.[24][25]

Culture and education

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Serbia and Ukraine signed the Agreement on Cooperation in the Fields of Education, Culture and Sports on 24 January 1996. On the basis of this Agreement a Program of Cooperation between the two countries for the period 2002–2004 was signed in February 2002. It was agreed to extend this agreement to cover 2005 through exchange of diplomatic notes. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on cooperation between the Diplomatic Academies at the Foreign Ministries of the two countries.[25]

In 2004 there was signed a treaty of cooperation between the State Committee of Archives of Ukraine and the Archive of Serbia and Montenegro.[1] Also since 2005 there exists a treaty of cooperation the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine and the National Library of Serbia.[1]

Serbia donated 5,000 laptops and tablets to Ukraine in 2024. The First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, thanked Serbia for the gift.[26]

Defense cooperation

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Ukraine and Serbia signed a Treaty on military cooperation on 4 November 2003 and ratified in August 2004. Based on this treaty there were four meetings of working groups for enhancement of the cooperation. Priorities set by two sides are mutual army modernization, development and production of arms and military equipment, involvement of Serbian companies in decontamination of radioactive ammunition in Ukraine, joint operation in third markets, exchange of information, expert consultations and training of military staff.[27]

Cooperation between regions

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Russian invasion of Ukraine

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Protest against Russian invasion of Ukraine on the date of first anniversary, 24 February 2023. Belgrade, city center.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Serbian government reaffirmed its respect for Ukraine's territorial integrity.[28] Serbia voted in favour of UN General Assembly resolutions condemning Russia's illegal attempt to annex four regions of Ukraine.[29] In May 2022, the Government of Serbia donated €3 million in aid to children and displaced persons from Ukraine.[30] However, several demonstrations in support of Russia's invasion have been held in Belgrade.[31][32][33] According to the BBC, Serbian public sentiment during the Russo-Ukrainian war has been decidedly pro-Russian, with over 70% of Serbian citizens supporting Russia over Ukraine.[34][35] Numerous murals and graffiti supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine appeared throughout Serbia's capital Belgrade following the invasion.[36]

Mural in support of Russian invasion of Ukraine featuring the Z symbol on the outskirts of Belgrade.
Mural in Serb-majority North Mitrovica, proclaiming "Kosovo is Serbia - Crimea is Russia".

Since the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian war, significant numbers of Serbian citizens (and ethnic Serbs from neighboring countries) took up arms to fight against Ukraine (see Dejan Berić), which prompted the Serbian government to pass a law prohibiting its citizens from taking part in hostilities on foreign soil.[37] In 2019 the Ukrainian Embassy in Serbia estimated that around 300 Serbian nationals were fighting in Ukraine, all of them on the Russian side.[38] After the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many more Serbian nationals took up arms to fight against Ukraine.[39][40]

As a result of the 2022–2023 Pentagon document leaks, in April 2023, it was reported that the Serbian government had secretly agreed to supply arms and ammunition to Ukraine.[41] The allegations were denied by Serbian officials at the time, but several months later, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić told the Financial Times: "Is it possible that it’s happening? I have no doubts that it might happen. What is the alternative for us? Not to produce it? Not to sell it? [...] But I'm not a fool. I am aware that some of the arms might end up in Ukraine."[42] At a multilateral summit meeting in February 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked Vučić for the humanitarian support the Serbian government had provided his country.[43]

In May 2024, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba and first lady Olena Zelenska made a visit to Serbia where they met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.[44] The Serbian Prime Minister's office issued a statement saying "Serbia is committed to respecting international law and the territorial integrity of every member state of the United Nations, including Ukraine."[45]

Resident diplomatic missions

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  • Serbia has an embassy in Kyiv.
  • Ukraine has an embassy in Belgrade.
  • Embassy of Serbia in Kyiv
    Embassy of Serbia in Kyiv
  • Embassy of Ukraine in Belgrade
    Embassy of Ukraine in Belgrade

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d About Ukraine, bilateral relations, European counties. Embassy of Ukraine in Serbia.
  2. ^ "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine - Entry regime to Ukraine for foreign citizens".
  3. ^ Українські та русинські організації національної меншини в РС, Embassy of Ukraine in Serbia
  4. ^ "Official Results of Serbian Census 2003–Population" (PDF) (in Serbian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-02-24. (441 KiB), pp. 12-13
  5. ^ "All-Ukrainian Population Census". ukrcensus.gov.ua. Archived from the original on 15 March 2007.
  6. ^ Archived 2007-03-15 at the Wayback Machine, State Statistics Committee of Ukraine}}
  7. ^ "Урядовий портал :: Сьогодні відбулась зустріч Першого віце-прем'єр-міністра України Олександра Турчинова з Віце-прем'єр-міністром з питань європейської інтеграції Республіки Сербія Божидаром Джеличем". Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  8. ^ "President Yushchenko takes part in the XVI Summit of Central and East European Heads of States". Archived from the original on February 22, 2012.
  9. ^ "Politički kontakti". www.mfa.gov.ua. Ukrainian Embassy in Serbia. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011.
  10. ^ Bilateral political relations with Ukraine, Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  11. ^ Fledgling Youth Groups Worry post-Soviet Authorities Archived 2008-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, EurasiaNet Civil Society
  12. ^ Ukraine to back Serbia's position on Kosovo, NRCU
  13. ^ Timoshenko hints on Ukraine's position on Kosovo Archived 2008-05-17 at the Wayback Machine, Regnum News Agency
  14. ^ Ukraine supports Serbia's wish to join the WTO Archived 2012-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, Official website of the Ukrainian President (June 19, 2009)
  15. ^ Yanukovych: Recognition of independence of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Kosovo violates international law, Kyiv Post (June 4, 2010)
  16. ^ Ukrainian, Serbian parliaments sign cooperation agreement, Kyiv Post (July 7, 2010)
  17. ^ "Litvin u poseti Srbiji". Glas Amerike. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  18. ^ "Bez viza u Ukrajinu". Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  19. ^ "RTS: Saradnja u regionu prioritet". Radio Television of Serbia. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  20. ^ "Ukrainian president meets with his Serbia's counterpart in Kiev". CNTV English. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  21. ^ "The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Volodymyr Lytvyn is convinced that the first official visit of the President of Serbia Boris Tadic to Ukraine in the history of Ukrainian-Serbian relations will give a significant impetus to the further deepening of relations between our states in all spheres". news.ligazakon.ua. 11 November 2011.
  22. ^ "Serbia, Ukraine ties based on mutual respect: presidents". xinhuanet.com. 3 July 2018.
  23. ^ Economic relations with Ukraine, Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  24. ^ a b "Ukraines main news Ukraine supports Serbia's accession to WTO, says president". interfax.com. 19 June 2009. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012.
  25. ^ a b "Bilateral Political Relations". mfa.gov.rs. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011.
  26. ^ "Олена Зеленска захвалила Србији на лаптоповима поклоњеним ђацима у Украјини". Politika Online. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  27. ^ Vojno-tehnička saradnja, Embassy of Ukraine in Republic of Serbia
  28. ^ "Serbia's Vučić faces a tough choice". Politico. March 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-07. But he [President Vučić] also noted that Serbs see a double standard at play: "From the very first moment, we condemned what happened on February 24. And we have always been very supportive of the territorial integrity of Ukraine. And even today, I can confirm to you, yes, Crimea, Donbas, Kherson are all part of Ukraine." His complaint — and, according to him, that of many Serbs — is about duplicity, and that Serbia's territorial integrity is of equal importance, yet was ignored. "That's our biggest political and psychological problem," he said.
  29. ^ "Serbia Backs UN Resolution Against Russian Annexations in Ukraine". Balkan Insight. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
  30. ^ "Brnabić: Tri miliona evra za humanitarnu pomoć Ukrajini". Radio-Television of Serbia (in Serbian). 5 May 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  31. ^ "У Белграді відбувся проросійський мітинг". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  32. ^ Gritsay, Yulia (2022-03-26). "Сотни сербов вышли на пророссийский митинг в Белграде". euronews (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  33. ^ "Тисячі сербів вийшли у Белграді підтримати Росію, Путіна та вторгнення в Україну – відео". LIGA (in Ukrainian). 2022-04-16. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  34. ^ "Inside the country backing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - BBC Newsnight visits Serbia" on YouTube
  35. ^ "Serbia: The Russia Dilemma". BBC. Retrieved 2023-04-29. As the first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine approaches, the majority of people in almost every European country are opposed to the war... with one notable exception. Serbia has long been an ally of Russia, with close political and economic links. It is thought that more than 70% of Serbs support Moscow over Kyiv. In the capital, Belgrade, pro-Russian graffiti can be seen on walls, while souvenir shops sell President Putin merchandise and even pro-war symbols.
  36. ^ "Painting Over Putin: Activists Attack War Symbols On Serbia's Streets - Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty" on YouTube
  37. ^ Zivanovic, Maja (13 December 2018). "Donbass Brothers: How Serbian Fighters Were Deployed in Ukraine". Balkan Insights. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  38. ^ Petrovic, Ivica; Bogdanic, Sinisa (31 January 2023). "Serbian, Croatian volunteers fight on Ukraine's front line". Deutsche Welle. Archived from the original on 30 April 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  39. ^ Husaric Omerovic, Azra (8 March 2022). "Serb Volunteers Answer Call to Fight in Ukraine". Balkan Insights. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  40. ^ Sauer, Pjotr (8 October 2023). "Russia recruits Serbs in drive to replenish military forces in Ukraine". Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  41. ^ Landay, Jonathan; Vasovic, Aleksandar (12 April 2023). "Exclusive: Leaked U.S. intel document claims Serbia agreed to arm Ukraine". Reuters. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  42. ^ Dunai, Marton (6 June 2023). "Serbia allows ammunition shipments to Ukraine in westward pivot". Financial Times. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  43. ^ "Ukraine's Zelenskiy thanks Serbian leader for support". Reuters. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  44. ^ Srbija, Euronews (2024-05-15). "Od predsednika Kine do prve dame Ukrajine: Nižu se posete Beogradu kako sa Istoka, tako i sa Zapada". Euronews.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  45. ^ "Ukraine's first lady and foreign minister visit Russia-friendly Serbia". The Associated Press. 13 May 2024.
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