Zelenskyy visits Russian ally Serbia as Moscow pounds Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Serbia to discuss economic ties and security, marking his first visit to the historically pro-Russian nation since 2019. The visit occurs as Ukraine faces intensified Russian missile strikes and seeks to broaden international support.
Why it matters
The visit highlights a potential shift in diplomatic alignments within Europe as Ukraine attempts to isolate Russia's influence among its traditional allies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was making his first official visit to Serbia — a rare European country still closely aligned with Moscow — on Saturday as Ukraine seeks to bolster international support in the face of intensifying Russian strikes.
Mr. Zelenskyy received a ceremonial welcome as talks with his counterpart Aleksandar Vucic got under way at the presidential palace, after another intense bombardment of Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight killed at least four people.
Diplomacy is at a standstill more than four years after the start of Russia's large-scale offensive against Ukraine and the two countries are ramping up long-range strikes, causing a growing number of civilian casualties.
Moscow has significantly upped its attacks on the Ukrainian capital in recent months, typically firing salvos of hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles in short blitzes, with Ukraine pleading for more U.S.-made Patriot interceptors.
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