Serbia and Ukraine pledge closer economic ties, eye free trade deal

Serbia and Ukraine have agreed to deepen economic cooperation, with both sides pledging to finalise a long-stalled free trade agreement by the end of the year as Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic hosted his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Belgrade.The commitment came on the final day of a two-day visit that concluded on Saturday, Zelenskyy’s first to Serbia since taking office in 2019. The two leaders have met several times previously, most recently in Kyiv on July 15.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3EU sanctions nine people over alleged Russian cyber-spying campaignlist 2 of 3Russia-Ukraine war: What is Europe’s new ballistic missile shield plan?list 3 of 3Russian strikes near Ukrainian capital kill four, including childend of listSpeaking at a joint news conference, Vucic said Serbia would support Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union and maintain its support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, including territories seized by Russia since 2014.Belgrade has, however, refused to impose sanctions on Russia, its longtime ally.Ukraine, for its part, has not recognised Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence. Serbia considers Kosovo part of its territ...