Serbia willing to host diplomatic talks to end Ukraine war with Russia

Exclusive: Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that Belgrade is ready to host peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

“Serbia is also among the countries that offer its good services, given our background, and given the fact that we are friends of all parties involved, to try to host any kind of talks, if necessary or if there is interest… on how to end this terrible tragedy, which has led to so many deaths and so much destruction,” the Foreign Minister said.

He said no War in Ukraine It must come to an immediate end. “Serbia supports, in principle, the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states in line with UN borders,” including Ukraine.

Zelensky urges direct talks with Putin as Trump sets peace deadline

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric meet at the State Department in Washington, D.C., on August 6, 2025. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

The Foreign Minister’s offer to host peace talks between Ukraine and Russia comes after a proposed summit between the two presidents Donald Trump Russian President Vladimir Putin’s scheduled meeting in Hungary has been postponed.

Some analysts say Serbia would be a surprise choice to host the next round of ceasefire talks between the two countries russia and serbia, Given the historical relations between Russia and Serbia, which are rooted in cultural and religious ties through the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on August 19, 2025. (Ukrainian Presidency/Bulletin/Anadolu via Getty Images)

While Serbia joined the United Nations resolutions condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the referendums that annexed parts of Ukrainian territory, Belgrade refused to join. Western sanctions Targeting Russia during the invasion. However, Djuric points out that Ukraine and Russia support Serbia’s territorial integrity with regard to Kosovo.

Djuric was in New York for United Nations Security Council meeting on Kosovo. In 1999, a nearly three-month NATO bombing campaign ended a war between Serbian government forces and Albanian separatists in Kosovo. Serbian forces were expelled, but Belgrade still considered Kosovo a Serbian province.

Putin and Xi deepen relations with the visit of the leaders of Iran and North Korea to Beijing

Some European officials questioned Serbia’s commitment to European unity. Foreign Minister Djuric responded that Serbia values ​​its place in Europe between East and West, while also noting the country’s close relationship with the United States.

“Serbia is very proud of its independent foreign and security policy, which was deeply rooted in our nation’s history and enabled us to remain independent for centuries, despite our small size,” he added. “We deeply value our growing strategic partnership with the United States, for which there is bipartisan consensus in this country,” he said.

President Donald Trump (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) hold a meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on August 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)

Djuric continued: “We very much value our growing strategic partnership with the United States, for which there is bipartisan consensus in this country. But we must also take into account the fact that President Trump is the most popular foreign leader in our country and he is the most popular leader of Serbs. I mean, compared to all other European countries, President Trump’s popularity in Serbia is unparalleled. More than 71% of Serbs have an opinion “Very positive towards the United States.” “The President and his policies, which really provides a very fertile ground for further growth in our relationship.”

After Serbia Relations with ChinaThe deal, widely viewed as the United States’ main economic and military rival on the global stage, has raised some concern in Washington.

The United States recently imposed sanctions on the Russian-owned Serbian oil company, Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS), a major supplier of oil and gasoline to Serbia.

China conducted military exercises in Serbia in July despite strict warnings from the European Union, and Belgrade also provides Beijing with a security foothold in Europe. Serbia has also purchased medium and short-range surface-to-air missile systems from China.

Beijing’s biggest inroads into Serbia are in the economic sphere, where it has invested more than $10 billion in infrastructure projects over the past 15 years, according to the Center for European Policy Analysis.

European leader praises Trump’s peace through force for keeping country safe from conflict

“I also have to admit that we have very good economic relations with China, and China also supports our position on Kosovo in the sense that it recognizes Serbia and its borders in the United Nations. So, as a member of the UN Security Council, they are an important partner for us as well,” Djuric said.

Djuric said the great power competition between the United States and China is “higher than the wage level of a small Balkan country” and that the Serbian government will continue to focus on its economic development.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (second from left) and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (third from right) hold a bilateral meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on September 4, 2025. (Lintao Zhang/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)

Internally, Serbia has been witnessing student-led anti-corruption protests for nearly a year, demanding justice and accountability after 16 people were killed in the collapse of a railway station in the Serbian city of Novi Sad. Critics across the European Union called on Serbian security forces to respond forcefully to the demonstrators.

Djuric said he wanted to establish an honest dialogue with the protesters and find a way to calm tensions.

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric speaks during a joint press conference with Hungarian Foreign and Trade Minister Peter Szijjártó following their meeting at the latter’s office in Budapest, Hungary, May 17, 2024. (Tamas Berger/MTI via AP)

Click here to download the FOX NEWS app

“We treat the opinions of our citizens who disagree with the government with respect, and I do not want to label any of them in any way,” Djuric said. “I believe we are mature enough to have a decent, decent and democratic dialogue, and we will always defend democracy in Serbia.”

He continued: “The government of Serbia showed accountability in the wake of the tragedy that occurred in Novi Sad. Ministers were replaced. Some of them were summoned, held accountable and even imprisoned. We have changed the government since then and included the professor.” [Djuro] Makut, who is our current Prime Minister, is in government, a university professor, and President Vucic’s vision remains to unite the people of Serbia, overcome political divisions, and create a society based on dialogue and social cohesion rather than polarization.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.