Ukraine and Serbia have agreed to resume work on a free trade agreement, which could become one of the most important economic steps in relations between the two countries in recent years.
In Belgrade, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka, and Serbian Minister of Internal and Foreign Trade Jagoda Lazarević signed a joint statement on the resumption of negotiations on a free trade agreement.
For Serbia, this document is of particular importance, since Ukraine remains the only European country with which Belgrade still has not signed a free trade agreement.
According to Kachka, work on the agreement is an important stage in the development of Ukrainian-Serbian relations and should contribute to deepening trade, industrial cooperation and the creation of new regional production chains.
The possibility of applying diagonal cumulation of origin will have separate importance. This will allow producers in Ukraine and Serbia to use raw materials and components from countries with which free trade agreements have been concluded and which are participants in the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention, without losing the preferential origin of goods. For Serbian industry, this is especially important, since Ukrainian raw materials and semi-finished products have already played a significant role in a number of sectors.
The economic part of the Ukrainian delegation’s visit to Belgrade was accompanied by the Serbian-Ukrainian Business Forum, organized by the chambers of commerce and industry of the two countries. According to the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, representatives of 30 companies took part in the event, and the forum took place against the backdrop of the intensification of political and economic dialogue between Kyiv and Belgrade.
The Ukrainian delegation included President of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Gennadiy Chyzhykov. The forum was opened by Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Taras Kachka, Serbian Minister of Internal and Foreign Trade Jagoda Lazarević, Serbian Ambassador to Ukraine Andon Sapundži, Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia Oleksandr Lytvynenko, President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Marko Čadež, and President of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Gennadiy Chyzhykov.
“For us, this forum is a practical working platform. It brings together representatives of the government, diplomatic missions, chambers and companies in one hall. It is precisely this format that helps business move from general interests to specific contacts, contracts and projects,” Chyzhykov said.
He thanked the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and personally Marko Čadež for preparing the meeting, as well as the ambassadors of the two countries for supporting bilateral economic dialogue.
“Your work is important because economic cooperation requires political trust, regular communication and institutional support,” the president of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry noted, addressing the diplomats.
According to Chyzhykov, the business community highly appreciates the fact that bilateral work is advancing at the government level.
“For business, predictability, clear rules and better access to the market are important. When state institutions and business organizations move in the same direction, companies receive a much stronger signal to invest time, resources and trust in bilateral cooperation. Serbia is a strategic partner for us in the Balkans,” he emphasized.
Chyzhykov also noted that Ukraine is interested in pragmatic cooperation with Serbia based on mutual respect, economic logic, reliable partnership and practical results.
“There is a range of groups of goods that is underestimated in the context of cooperation. This visit of our delegation and the forum became an excellent platform for bringing the Ukrainian and Serbian sides closer to a new stage of our relations. We are keeping the agricultural sector, the food sector and the energy sector in focus,” the president of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry added.
According to BGNES, in the first quarter of 2026, trade between Serbia and Ukraine amounted to $152.8 million, while Serbia recorded a positive balance of $36.8 million, and export coverage of imports reached 163.4%.
At the end of 2025, trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $442.2 million. Serbian exports to Ukraine reached $202.9 million, while imports from Ukraine amounted to $239.3 million. The main goods of Serbian exports are electricity, mineral and chemical fertilizers, tires and other industrial products, while semi-finished rolled products, iron ore and frozen raspberries are named among the goods imported from Ukraine.
President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Marko Čadež earlier noted in an interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency that the chambers of the two countries have “excellent bilateral relations,” secured by a memorandum of cooperation signed three years ago within the framework of 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 organizing business forums, B2B negotiations, online business missions during the pandemic and joint statements on complex topics.
Čadež also emphasized that he and Chyzhykov are connected by years of joint work in Eurochambres and the World Chambers Federation, mutual understanding, common views on problems and solutions, as well as on the European future of the economies of the two countries.
“I consider him not only a colleague, but also a great friend, with sincere respect for everything that the Ukrainian Chamber and he personally are doing in order, even under impossible conditions, to help Ukrainian entrepreneurs in the country and connect them with international partners,” the president of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said in an interview with the agency.
According to Čadež, the parties will also work on creating a Serbian-Ukrainian Business Council. He expressed confidence that in the future a business forum could also be organized in Ukraine with the support of the foreign ministers of the two countries, Marko Đurić and Andrii Sybiha.
The parties name IT, construction, agriculture and the food industry, energy, logistics and transport as practical areas of cooperation between Ukrainian and Serbian business. Earlier, the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry reported that the program of the business mission to Serbia included B2B meetings with Serbian companies, the establishment of new business contacts, visits to enterprises and discussion of potential joint projects.
The Serbian side also sees opportunities for cooperation in Ukraine’s reconstruction projects. This concerns construction materials, energy equipment, agricultural machinery, irrigation systems, seed material, technologies for increasing yields, as well as supplies of products for the energy sector.
For Ukraine, Serbia is important not only as a trading partner, but also as a potential logistics and production hub for access to the markets of the Western Balkans, the EU, Asia and Africa. Čadež noted that Serbia, being located in the center of Southeastern Europe, can use its logistical links with the EU, the East and the South for the development of joint production and the export of Ukrainian and Serbian companies to third markets.
Danube logistics has separate importance. Using the route from the Ukrainian ports of Izmail and Reni toward Serbian ports and intermodal terminals, goods from Ukraine can more efficiently reach Corridor X, the markets of Central Europe and the Adriatic region.
Thus, the visit of the Ukrainian delegation to Belgrade, the signing of the statement on the resumption of negotiations on a free trade agreement, and the holding of the Serbian-Ukrainian Business Forum move the bilateral economic agenda from the level of intentions into the practical plane. Against the backdrop of recovering trade, the active role of the chambers of commerce and industry, and the discussion of the Serbian-Ukrainian Business Council, the parties are forming a new infrastructure of cooperation that can strengthen the industrial, logistical and investment link between Ukraine and Serbia.
Interfax-Ukraine is the official media partner for the organisation of the Serbian-Ukrainian Business Forum in Belgrade.
The Experts Club think tank reported that Ukraine ranked 73rd in the Nomad Passport Index 2026—a ranking of the world’s most valuable passports compiled by Nomad Capitalist. Ukrainian citizenship received 85 points and shared this position with Tuvalu and El Salvador.
According to the ranking, the Ukrainian passport has a high freedom of movement score—146 points in the travel category. This reflects fairly broad visa-free and simplified access for Ukrainians to other countries, including the European Union. However, Ukraine’s overall ranking is lowered by other factors considered by the Nomad Passport Index.
Ukraine received 20 points for tax criteria, 40 points for international perception, 30 points for dual citizenship, and 10 points for personal freedoms. It was precisely the low score in the personal freedom category that became one of the factors limiting the country’s overall result in the ranking.
This result highlights the difference between “passport power” in the narrow sense and “the value of citizenship” in a broader methodology. If we evaluate mobility alone, the Ukrainian passport appears significantly stronger than Ukraine’s position in the overall Nomad Capitalist ranking. But when taxes, freedoms, reputation, and the flexibility of citizenship are taken into account, the final ranking drops.
In the European context, Ukraine ranks below most EU countries and a number of Western Balkan states. For comparison, Serbia ranked 71st, North Macedonia 78th, Montenegro 82nd, Bosnia and Herzegovina 87th, Albania 91st, and Moldova 87th.
At the same time, Ukraine outperforms a number of post-Soviet countries and states with more limited international mobility. Russia ranked 96th, Belarus 123rd, Kazakhstan 114th, Armenia 120th, and Azerbaijan 131st.
For Ukraine, the ranking is important primarily as an indicator that international mobility is already a strength of Ukrainian citizenship, but the overall “value of the passport” will depend on broader factors—the quality of institutions, the legal framework, security, the country’s reputation, and future integration into the EU.
After the war ends and Ukraine moves forward on its European path, it can improve its position in such rankings, especially if legal institutions, the protection of freedoms, the investment climate, and the country’s international reputation are strengthened.
https://expertsclub.eu/ukrayina-posila-73-tye-miscze-v-rejtyngu-najczinnishyh-gromadyanstv-svitu/
According to the Patrol Police Department, over 330 traffic accidents caused by poor road conditions were recorded in Ukraine in 2025. This is nearly a third fewer than in 2024. The highest number of such accidents was recorded in Lviv, Kyiv, and Ternopil regions.
Last year, police in Ukraine recorded 332 traffic accidents caused by poor road conditions. This is a third fewer than in 2024, when a record number of 475 accidents was recorded since the start of the full-scale conflict. For comparison, the previous record was in 2021: at that time, 849 traffic accidents occurred due to poor road conditions.
The highest number of such accidents is traditionally recorded in the Lviv region—72 traffic accidents. At the same time, the situation here has improved: over the year, the number of such cases decreased by 31%, and compared to 2021—by more than half.
Kyiv consistently holds second place—63 traffic accidents due to violations of road and street maintenance regulations. Unlike Lviv Oblast, the situation here has worsened slightly: compared to 2024, the number of such accidents increased by 17%. At the same time, the figure is still significantly lower than before the full-scale invasion.
Rounding out this year’s bottom three is Ternopil Oblast, where police recorded 29 accidents due to poor road conditions. Over the year, the number of accidents here has increased by 16%. In total, these three regions account for half of all such accidents.
What to do in the event of an accident caused by poor road conditions?
If your car is damaged due to a pothole or poor road conditions, the most important thing is to properly document the accident and gather evidence. First, you need to stop, turn on your hazard lights, set up a warning triangle, and call the police.
While the police are on their way, you should document everything yourself as much as possible: take photos and videos of the pothole, the damage to the car, and any road signs or their absence. It is also advisable to find witnesses and record their contact information.
The police must inspect the accident scene, draw up a diagram of the accident, and record all circumstances in the report. It is important that the documents specifically mention the poor condition of the road. Law enforcement officers must also determine which agency is responsible for that section of the road and issue a report against the responsible officials under Article 140 of the Code of Administrative Offenses.
After that, the driver needs to assess the damages. To do this, they should contact an independent appraiser, who will prepare an official report on the cost of repairs and the amount of damages incurred.
Next, the collected documents—the police report, photos, videos, and the appraiser’s conclusion—must be sent to the organization responsible for road maintenance, with a demand for compensation for the damages. If compensation is not provided voluntarily, the driver may file a lawsuit.
At the same time, it is important that the driver does not violate traffic rules themselves. If the police determine that the accident occurred due to speeding or inattention, the driver may be issued a citation, and the court may fine them or even temporarily revoke their driver’s license.
https://opendatabot.ua/analytics/dtp-bad-roads-2026
On May 21, Italian Ambassador to Ukraine Carlo Formosa and Artur Lorkowski, Director of the Energy Community Secretariat, signed an agreement on a new contribution from Italy in the amount of EUR 10 million for repair and reconstruction work in Ukraine’s energy sector.
This was announced by Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Denys Shmyhal following a meeting with Lorkovsky and partners on a Telegram channel on Thursday.
“Prior to this, Italy had already contributed EUR13 million to the Energy Support Fund. We are grateful to Italy,” he noted.
According to Shmyhal, the parties paid special attention to mechanisms for attracting additional contributions to Ukraine’s Energy Support Fund as a tool for strengthening energy resilience.
“We also discussed opportunities for international businesses to invest in Ukraine’s energy sector. “The launch of updated auctions for the construction of new power generation capacity in Ukraine is an important signal to the market; we can more broadly attract international investors to the development of new capacity,” he said.
Ukraine is also preparing to present these and other opportunities at the URC conference in Gdańsk in June.
“We agreed to jointly develop mechanisms for mitigating and insuring against military risks for such investments,” the First Deputy Prime Minister added.
As reported, as of the end of April, Ukraine’s foreign partners had announced additional contributions to the Energy Support Fund totaling approximately EUR 100 million.
In total, as of early April, the Energy Support Fund of Ukraine had received grant funds totaling nearly EUR 1.854 billion from 37 foreign sponsors from 26 partner countries and three international organizations.
According to the Interfax-Ukraine Culture project, a panel discussion titled “The Ukrainian Film Industry: Sustainability, Distribution, and International Opportunities,“ dedicated to the development of the Ukrainian film market during the war, international distribution, and prospects for cooperation with the global film industry, the State Film Agency reports on its Facebook page.
”Despite the war, Ukrainian audiences continue to return to movie theaters and support local cinema. This creates not only cultural resilience but also a real market for Ukrainian cinema,” noted Andriy Nogin.
According to the NGO “UkrKinoFest,” participants in the discussion included Andriy Osipov, head of the State Agency of Ukraine for Cinema; Nataliia Movshovych, Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine; Andriy Nogin, General Producer of UnitedContentHUB and Head of the NGO “UkrKinoFest”; Kateryna Nahorna, International Sales Manager at FILM.UA Group; Valeria Sochivets, Co-founder of “Contemporary Ukrainian Cinema”; and Serhiy Lavrenyuk, General Producer at Solar Media Entertainment. The discussion was moderated by director and producer Ksenia Bugrimova.
During the discussion, participants discussed the state of Ukrainian commercial and auteur cinema, changes in audience preferences amid the war, new international distribution models, and the integration of the Ukrainian film industry into the global market.
In particular, Kateryna Nahorna presented the “Local for Local” international distribution model for Ukrainian-language releases abroad, targeting Ukrainian audiences outside the country. Case studies included “Mavka: The Forest Song,” the franchise “The Christmas Express / December 31st Express,” and the film “Mavka: The True Myth.”
“The Local for Local model demonstrates that Ukrainian cinema today has a global Ukrainian-speaking audience that can exist outside the bounds of traditional distribution,” Nagorna emphasized.
Valeria Sochivets highlighted the importance of supporting Ukrainian auteur cinema and the role of international festivals in maintaining the visibility of Ukrainian stories around the world. She also cited the example of the film “La Palissade” by director Philip Sotnychenko, which was presented at a number of international festivals.
Serhiy Lavrenyuk spoke about his experience collaborating with international studios, notably Lionsgate, and Ukraine’s potential as a creative and production partner for the global market.
“For major international companies, Ukraine today is not only a source of compelling stories but also a creative industry partner with talent, experience, and strong production capabilities,” Lavrenyuk noted.
The panel discussion was part of a series of industry events at the Ukrainian Pavilion in Cannes. The pavilion was organized by the NGO “UkrKinoFest” with the support of the Ukrainian State Film Agency.
As reported, the Ukrainian State Film Agency and the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival discussed the promotion of Ukrainian cinema at international festivals. Also, Ukraine opened a national pavilion at the 79th Cannes International Film Festival.
In addition, Ukraine and Lithuania signed a memorandum on cooperation in the field of cinema during the Cannes Film Festival.
https://interfax.com.ua/news/culture/1169392.html
Serbia hopes that Ukraine will confirm its participation in the specialized exhibition Expo 2027 Belgrade following the visit of a Ukrainian government-business delegation to Serbia, said Marko Čadež, President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“The invitation is open, and we respect the motives of each individual country, but we sincerely hope that following the visit of the Ukrainian government-business delegation to Serbia, Ukraine will become the next, 138th country to confirm its participation in Expo 2027 Belgrade,” he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
According to Chadezh, participation in the exhibition would be beneficial for the Ukrainian economy, as it opens opportunities to showcase the potential of Ukrainian companies and technological capabilities, strengthen bilateral government and business relations, and foster contacts with international partners.
“EXPO 2027 will be not only an exhibition but also a global platform for bringing together countries, companies, investors, and new ideas for development. Therefore, I believe that Ukraine’s presence would be important, especially in the context of the country’s recovery, attracting investment, and establishing new partnerships with the international business community,” emphasized the president of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
