Ukrainian Deputy PM Taras Kachka Visits Belgrade to Discuss Trade Belgrade is suddenly the place where a war-battered Ukraine and a diplomatically hedging Serbia are trying to turn geopolitics into hard trade numbers — and fast.

Morning: Vučić sets the tone

Talks kicked off at the Presidency, where Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić hosted Ukrainian Deputy PM Taras Kachka for what he billed as an “open and substantial conversation” on sharpening bilateral ties and aligning European ambitions. The agenda was heavy on trade and infrastructure: they pushed “strengthening economic cooperation, continuing negotiations on a free trade agreement, as well as possibilities for further increasing trade, investments and cooperation in the areas of trade, energy and infrastructure.”

The two also swapped notes on EU integration, with Vučić calling the European path Serbia’s “strategic commitment” and highlighting a memorandum on European integration as a “step towards stronger institutional cooperation.” Energy security featured prominently, notably the Vertical Gas Corridor as a way to plug the region into wider European flows.

Midday: Macut sells Serbia as a hub

Later, Prime Minister Đuro Macut picked up the economic baton. He and Kachka walked through a broad menu: trade, economy, infrastructure, energy, digitalization and “other sectors,” casting Serbia as a potential “key economic and logistical hub for Ukrainian companies.”

Macut framed the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as a pivot point that “could significantly increase the trade exchange between the two countries and open a new phase of economic cooperation,” while stressing Serbia’s line that it is “committed to preserving peace and stability” and to its European trajectory.

Afternoon: Lazarevic puts a deadline on the deal

Trade Minister Jagoda Lazarevic brought the clearest deliverable: a political promise that the Free Trade Agreement between Serbia and Ukraine should be wrapped up “by the end of the year.” Her talks with Kachka zeroed in on deepening cooperation and pushing FTA negotiations over the finish line.

From Vučić’s big-picture pitch to Macut’s hub narrative and Lazarevic’s countdown clock, Belgrade’s message was consistent: Serbia wants to turn cautious diplomacy with Kyiv into a structured economic partnership — and be seen doing it on Europe’s terms.