Russian, Serbian presidents discuss conflicts in Mideast, Ukraine, energy cooperation

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as the energy cooperation with his Serbian counterpart Aleksandr Vucic over the phone, the Kremlin said on Monday.

Vucic thanked Putin for consistent deliveries of energy resources despite the global energy crisis, which led to a sharp increase in energy prices, according to a Kremlin statement.

"Aleksandar Vucic expressed gratitude for the continuation of stable Russian gas supplies, which are crucial for maintaining the country's energy security," it said. "The leaders discussed in detail the situation surrounding Ukraine and the current large-scale escalation of the conflict in the Middle East."

The two leaders reviewed the state of cooperation in the energy sector and preparations for the upcoming meeting in April of the Intergovernmental Russian-Serbian Committee on Trade, Economic, and Scientific and Technical Cooperation, the statement read.

"The President of Serbia shared his assessments of the situation in the Balkans," it added.

Russia is a major gas supplier to Serbia, meeting up to 90% of its needs. Long-term cooperation began in 2008, when Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom purchased a controlling stake in Serbia's largest oil company, NIS (Serbian Oil Industry).

However, in early 2025, the US imposed sanctions against NIS due to Russian involvement, which forced Gazprom to sell its stake to a Hungarian-Emirati consortium.

Nevertheless, Moscow and Belgrade continue to develop their gas cooperation. In March 2026, a new short-term gas supply contract was signed, and the prospect of building Serbia's first nuclear power plant with the participation of Rosatom is being discussed.