Serbia will gain “absolutely nothing” from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Belgrade, while President Aleksandar Vučić will be the only one to benefit, opposition leader Zdravko Ponoš said Monday.
Ponoš, leader of the Serbia Centre (SRCE) party, argued that the visit could result in political benefits for Vučić rather than tangible gains for Serbia.
“Serbia will get one big nothing, while only President Aleksandar Vučić will get something — even if it is the opening of a cluster or some similar gift ahead of the elections and the accompanying electoral fraud,” Ponoš said in a statement published on social media.
He compared the possible outcome to what he described as the “Brussels-orchestrated” formation of a weakened Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM), arguing that European institutions had previously provided political concessions to Vučić.
“Vučić and Europe are an oxymoron. We cannot have Vučić in power and Serbia as a European, rule-based country,” Ponoš said.
His comments came amid political debate over Zelensky’s visit to Belgrade and the significance of the Ukrainian president’s first official trip to Serbia.
Ponoš also criticised interpretations that Zelensky’s visit represented a decisive shift in Vučić’s foreign policy toward the European Union.
“Let everyone rejoice if they want to, thinking that Zelensky’s visit to Belgrade represents Vučić’s turn toward Europe,” he said.
“I reserve the right to interpret this visit as Vučić being rewarded, and that is not something to celebrate. Every time Vučić gains, Serbia loses,” Ponoš concluded.
The visit has drawn particular attention because Serbia maintains close ties with Russia while seeking progress toward EU membership, and because Ukraine continues to maintain its position of not recognising Kosovo’s independence.
