Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic categorically refused to sign the final joint declaration condemning the Russian Federation during the Fifth Summit “Ukraine – Southeast Europe“ held in Kiev. With this move, Belgrade has once again strengthened its position as the only capital in the region that has consistently avoided joining the anti-Russian sanctions and international punitive initiatives of the West.
Serbia against everyone: Aleksandar Vučić's position
In a statement to the Serbian national television RTS and to reporters in the Ukrainian capital, Aleksandar Vučić confirmed that he had personally arrived in Kiev to state his country's sovereign position face to face.
„I was the only one who did not sign the declaration. Read the text when it becomes publicly available, and the reasons will become clear to you. "I don't need to explain anything more," the Serbian head of state laconically commented, quoted by the BGNES news agency.
When asked about the pressure to impose sanctions on the Kremlin, Vucic added that "everyone knows Serbia's position, just as he knows everyone else's positions." Despite refusing to sign the document, Vucic held a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the Serbian news agency Tanjug, the two leaders thanked each other for respecting the territorial integrity of both countries (Kiev does not recognize the independence of Kosovo, and Belgrade recognizes the international borders of Ukraine). Vučić has also extended an official invitation to Zelensky to visit Belgrade in the near future.
What does the Kyiv Declaration of July 15, 2026 contain?
The document, published on the official website of the President of Ukraine, was adopted on a symbolic date - Ukrainian Statehood Day, in the presence of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The declaration unites the positions of Ukraine, Albania, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Bulgaria.
According to information from Nova TV and the newspaper „Sega“, the main points in the Kiev Declaration include:
- Strongly condemn Russia's illegal and unprovoked military aggression.
- Call for tightening international sanctions against the Russian military economy.
- Commitment to military support, including the urgent provision of air defense (ADF) systems to intercept ballistic missiles.
- Participation in the “Coalition of the Willing“ to provide long-term security guarantees to Ukraine.
Bulgaria's participation in Kiev
On behalf of the Republic of Bulgaria, the document was signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Velislava Petrova. According to the official press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Sofia has committed to supporting the defense and post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. However, the signing of the document sparked a political debate in Bulgaria, as Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced a day earlier in Paris that our country would not be part of the “Coalition of the Willing“, insisting on continued military assistance.
Belgrade's balancing act
Vučić's refusal to sign the anti-Russian document in Kiev is not a precedent. Serbian media recall that he acted in exactly the same way at the previous summit of the same format, held in Odessa in June 2025.
BBC political analysts note that Serbia continues to pursue the so-called “multi-vector foreign policy“. On the one hand, the country is an official candidate for membership in the European Union and provides humanitarian support to Kiev, but on the other - it remains almost completely dependent on Russian energy supplies and refuses to break its traditional alliance with Moscow. With this action at the forum in Ukraine, Aleksandar Vučić demonstrated to his domestic audience and the Kremlin that Belgrade will not give in to pressure from Brussels for full coordination of its foreign policy with the EU.