Belgrade, Serbia - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced his arrival in Belgrade on Friday, for his first visit to one of the few European countries still closely allied with Moscow since Russia's invasion.

Zelensky said in a post on X that he would meet with his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, over two days in the capital.

"We will discuss expanding economic ties between our countries, relations with the European Union, other areas that can benefit our nations, and security issues," Zelensky said.

With Serbia historically close to Russia, Vucic has refused to sanction Moscow, a move that has irked the EU and slowed Belgrade's path to joining the bloc.

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A senior Ukrainian official told AFP ahead of the trip that it was an attempt to "pull the Serbs away from Russia's side", but Vucic has remained adamant that his decision not to sanction Moscow remained the same.

"I am sure Volodymyr Zelensky, in line with his struggle and his views, will say what he thinks about sanctions against the Russian Federation, but the Republic of Serbia set out its position four and a half years ago, almost five years ago, and has not changed it since," Vucic told media on Thursday.

"That will remain the case until further notice," he said.

Zelensky – who has toured much of the world seeking support for Ukraine's defense against the Russian invasion – has not visited Serbia since he became president in 2019.

Although heavily dependent on cheap Russian gas and one of the rare European leaders to still visit Moscow, Vucic has also supplied non-military aid to Kyiv.

The Kremlin has accused Vucic of selling munitions to Ukraine, a claim he has repeatedly denied.