Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on August 8 in Belgrade that Serbia will allocate 2 million euros to support Ukraine's energy sector. The announcement followed a meeting between Zelenskyy and Serbian Prime Minister Djuro Macut.
Zelenskyy said Serbia also intends to participate in rebuilding one of Ukraine's destroyed cities. Writing on Telegram, he stated that the two sides discussed joint economic and logistics projects in detail, including the development of the Danube corridor and the strengthening of ties between Ukraine, the Western Balkans, and the European Union.
Earlier, after a meeting with Zelenskyy, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic reported that Serbia had allocated significant medical aid and plans to support Ukraine with energy sector equipment before winter.
The trip marked Zelenskyy's first visit to Serbia, which remains one of the few European countries maintaining close ties with Russia. While Serbia condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it has refused to join European Union sanctions against Moscow.
Russian attacks on energy infrastructure
Russia has targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure since starting its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Russian forces intensified strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities in early autumn 2025. The gap between generation capacity and consumption demands led to long power outages across many regions, though restrictions eased in spring as solar power generation increased.
The Security Service of Ukraine has qualified Russia's strikes on the country's energy infrastructure as crimes against humanity.
In early February 2026, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Russia had not initiated attacks on civilian targets, asserting that Ukraine was the first to strike Russian energy facilities.
