Zelenskyy's Belgrade visit deepens Serbia-Ukraine ties, no Russia sanctions

The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, visited Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia, for the first time.

He met with Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vucic.

The two leaders promised to work together more closely.

They want to finish a free trade agreement by the end of the year so the countries can trade more easily.

Serbia said it supports Ukraine's independence and wants Ukraine to keep its land.

But Serbia will not impose sanctions, or punishments, on Russia.

Serbia used to be very good friends with Russia and still gets most of its gas from it.

Serbia has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and is slowly moving closer to Western countries.

The leaders also talked about helping Ukraine get energy and food for the winter and about rebuilding damaged cities.

Serbia and Ukraine still disagree about Kosovo, which Serbia considers part of itself but Ukraine does not recognize as a country.