Ukraine and Serbia have agreed to resume work on a free trade agreement, which may become one of the most important economic steps in the relations between the two countries in recent years.
In Belgrade, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Ukrainian Trade Representative Taras Kachka and Serbian Interior and Foreign Trade Minister Jagoda Lazarevic signed a joint statement on the resumption of negotiations on a free trade agreement.
This document is of particular importance for Serbia, as Ukraine remains the only European country with which Belgrade still does not have a signed free trade agreement.
According to Kachka, the work on the agreement is an important stage in the development of Ukrainian-Serbian relations and should contribute to the deepening of trade, industrial cooperation and the creation of new regional production chains.
Of particular importance will be the possibility of applying diagonal cumulation of origin. This will allow Ukrainian and Serbian producers to use raw materials and components from countries with which free trade agreements have been concluded and which are parties to the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention, without losing the preferential origin of goods. This is especially important for the Serbian industry, as Ukrainian raw materials and semi-finished products have already played a significant role in a number of industries.
The economic part of the Ukrainian delegation’s visit to Belgrade was accompanied by a Serbian-Ukrainian business forum organised by the chambers of commerce and industry of the two countries. According to the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the event was attended by representatives of 30 companies, and the forum was held against the background of intensified political and economic dialogue between Kiev and Belgrade.
The Ukrainian delegation included the president of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Hennadiy Chizhikov. The forum was opened by Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Taras Kachka, Serbian Minister of Internal and Foreign Trade Jagoda Lazarevic, Serbian Ambassador to Ukraine Andon Sapunji, Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Litvinenko, President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Marko Chadej and President of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Gennady Chizhikov.
“For us, this forum is a practical working platform. It brings together in one hall representatives of the government, diplomatic missions, chambers and companies. It is this format that helps businesses to move from common interests to specific contacts, contracts and projects,” Chizhikov said.
He thanked the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and personally Marko Čadeža for preparing the meeting, as well as the ambassadors of the two countries for supporting the bilateral economic dialogue.
“Your work is important because economic co-operation requires political trust, regular communication and institutional support,” said the president of the Ukrainian CCI, addressing the diplomats.
According to Chizhikov, the business community appreciates that bilateral work is promoted at the governmental level.
“For business, predictability, clear rules and better market access are important. When government institutions and business organisations are moving in the same direction, companies get a much stronger signal to invest time, resources and trust in bilateral cooperation. Serbia is a strategic partner for us in the Balkans,” he emphasised.
Chizhikov also noted that Ukraine is interested in pragmatic co-operation with Serbia, based on mutual respect, economic logic, reliable partnership and practical results.
“There is a spectrum of product groups that is underestimated in the context of co-operation. This visit of our delegation and the forum was an excellent platform for bringing Ukrainian and Serbian side closer to a new stage of our relations. We keep in focus the agrarian sector, food sector, energy sector,” added the President of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
According to BGNES, in the first quarter of 2026, trade between Serbia and Ukraine totalled $152.8 million, with Serbia recording a surplus of $36.8 million, while the coverage of imports by exports reached 163.4%.
By the end of 2025, the trade turnover between the two countries will amount to $442.2 million. Serbian exports to Ukraine reached $202.9 million, while imports from Ukraine – $239.3 million. The main Serbian exports are electricity, mineral and chemical fertilizers, tyres and other industrial products, while the imports from Ukraine include semi-finished rolled products, iron ore and frozen raspberries.
President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Marko Cadej earlier in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine noted that the chambers of the two countries have “excellent bilateral relations”, enshrined in a memorandum of co-operation signed three years ago at a business forum in Belgrade. According to him, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry already have experience in organising business forums, B2B-