BELGRADE, Serbia

Serbia shares Ukraine’s grief as the two countries have many things in common, the Ukrainian ambassador in Belgrade said on Wednesday.

In an interview with the Radio Television of Serbia, Volodymyr Tolkach said that the Serbian president visited a refugee center and showed “warmth and openness” toward the Ukrainian children.

“And that is a sign that Serbia shares our sorrow, our tragedy and will continue to support us,” Tolkach said.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic together with Tolkach visited the refugee center in Vranje city at the beginning of June.

There are about 7,500 citizens of Ukraine in Serbia, of which 500 have permanent residences.

Over 4,432 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia launched its war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, while over 14 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including more than 7.3 million that have fled to other countries, according to UN figures.


Serbia, which is almost entirely dependent on Russian gas and oil, has faced growing pressure for its neutrality and reluctance to sanction Moscow.