According to Serbian Economist, trade turnover between Serbia and Ukraine in 2025 returned to the level of the last pre-war year, 2021, and amounted to $442.2 million, said Marko Čadež, president of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in an interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
According to him, despite the initial shock following the outbreak of the war, mutual trade did not cease. In the first year of the war, it fell by 25%—to $339 million—but then began to gradually recover and can now be considered stable.
Serbian exports to Ukraine in 2025 amounted to $202.9 million, while imports from Ukraine totaled $239.3 million. About 900 Serbian companies continue to do business with Ukraine, 670 of which import Ukrainian goods.
“In the first quarter of this year, the growth trend continued—Serbian exports to Ukraine doubled compared to the same period last year, while Ukrainian exports to Serbia grew by 4.5%,” said Čadež.
The president of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry noted that the pandemic, followed by the war, demonstrated the high interdependence of the two economies. This is particularly true for supplies of Ukrainian raw materials and intermediate products for Serbian industry. According to Čadež, prior to the war, such supplies accounted for about 70% of Serbian imports from Ukraine.
Among the key Ukrainian goods for Serbia, he cited iron ore, coal, aluminum wire, and cellulose. Supply disruptions after February 2022 created problems for a number of Serbian industries, particularly metallurgy.
Serbian-Ukrainian trade continues to be dominated by raw materials, industrial products, and goods for the processing industry. Ukraine purchases mineral and chemical fertilizers, PVC flooring, paper and cardboard, automobile tires, as well as detergents and cleaning products from Serbia.
Ukraine has updated the rules governing international scheduled bus services, which include changes to the procedures and deadlines for opening or extending routes, according to a statement from the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development.
“The changes are aimed at establishing rules for organizing international transport services for businesses and expanding the regular network of international passenger routes to ensure seamless, safe, and comfortable travel,” the release quotes Deputy Prime Minister for Ukraine’s Recovery and Minister of Community Development Oleksii Kuleba as saying.
In particular, the changes provide for a 30-calendar-day period for reviewing route applications submitted via the online portal (opening, closing, changing, or extending a route). Provided that the feasibility of operating an international route is agreed upon with the foreign state, a decision will be made within 10 calendar days, and permits will be issued to carriers within five business days. Carriers will be given up to 20 calendar days to correct deficiencies in the applications and documents submitted via the online portal.
“The updated procedure also includes information on the number of slots at border crossing points for opening routes. This refers to the capacity to allow buses to pass at specific times,” the statement notes.
The Ministry of Development added that from now on, the approval period with neighboring countries will be up to six months, and with other countries—up to 12 months. In addition, every 12 months (instead of four months), the agency will verify the operation of international routes. Specifically, during the relevant period, the carrier must complete at least 30% of the trips specified in the permit. If this requirement is not met, the route permit will not be extended and the international route will be closed. It is noted that route performance verification is carried out based on data from the “eCherga” system.
Among other updates, new deadlines have been added for launching international routes. Specifically, from now on, the carrier must begin operating the route within 90 calendar days from the date the latest permit is uploaded to the carrier’s electronic account.
“Previously, this deadline was shorter, but now the Ministry of Development has approved a longer period so that carriers can properly prepare for the start of operations,” the ministry noted.
Among other changes, the regulations also provide for accounting for the total number of buses serving an international route in cases where several Ukrainian carriers are collaborating.
“The new procedure also includes sample documents, such as a schedule of drivers’ duty periods and breaks, a form for filling out the passenger list, and a form for transportation rates,” the ministry added.
The Ministry of Development noted that for the first time in 20 years, the procedure for organizing international transportation was updated in November 2024 as part of the reform of international bus transportation, where the main change was the digitization of procedures for managing international routes via an online portal.
There are currently over 480 businesses with majority Ukrainian capital operating in Serbia, including 161 companies and 320 entrepreneurs, according to Marko Čadež, president of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, citing data from the Serbian Business Registration Agency.
“Mostly in the fields of IT, consulting services, trade, and small business,” he said in an interview with the agency “Interfax-Ukraine”.
For comparison, Čadež cited data from pre-war 2021, when 202 Ukrainian companies and 117 entrepreneurs were operating in Serbia. According to him, about 40% of them were subsequently closed, but after 2022, a significant number of new registrations were recorded.
“Last year, for example, not a single company or entrepreneur was closed,” he noted.
The president of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry added that Ukrainian business in Serbia is gradually shifting from traditional trade to digital and other knowledge-based services.
“The number of IT entrepreneurs, consulting firms, and design studios is growing year after year,” said Chadezh.
BUSINESS, IT, SERBIA, Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, UKRAINE
Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine have agreed to introduce unified transit permits for freight transport. This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Transport.
The relevant intergovernmental agreement was signed on May 15 of this year at a meeting of the TRACECA Intergovernmental Commission in Astana. It provides for the introduction of a single transit permit form in all five countries.
The document will allow carriers to cross the territories of several participating states using a single form without additional documents. The decision aims to eliminate administrative barriers and speed up transit.
AZERBAIJAN, KAZAKHSTAN, KYRGYZSTAN, transit permits, UKRAINE, UZBEKISTAN
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy may visit Serbia as early as this week at the head of a Ukrainian delegation, Serbian television company N1 reported, citing diplomatic sources in Belgrade. But there has so far been no official confirmation of the visit from Kyiv.
In addition, according to the Telegram channel “Serbian Economist,” the Ukrainian delegation is expected to arrive in Serbia in the coming days, and it is not ruled out that it will be personally headed by Zelenskyy. If the trip takes place, it will be the first visit of the Ukrainian president to Serbia since he took office in 2019. N1 separately indicates that, because of the wartime situation, such a trip may be canceled at any moment. The Serbian television channel also reported that diplomatic sources expect the possible signing of a memorandum on trade cooperation between the two countries.
This directly coincides in time with the already announced Ukrainian business mission to Belgrade on May 19–21, 2026, which is to take place as part of the visit to Serbia by Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka.
According to a statement by the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the purpose of the business mission is the participation of the Ukrainian delegation in the Ukrainian-Serbian business forum, the holding of B2B meetings with Serbian companies, visits to enterprises, the establishment of new business contacts, and discussion of potential joint projects. Companies from the agro-industrial complex, fertilizer production, construction, the electrical engineering sector, agricultural machinery manufacturing, energy, and other industries were invited to participate.
On the Ukrainian official side, at the time of preparation of the material, there was no public confirmation of Zelenskyy’s possible visit to Belgrade. At the same time, the fact of the preparation of an economic mission with the participation of Ukrainian business and the visit of Taras Kachka had been publicly announced in advance through the Ukrainian CCI and Interfax-Ukraine.
Zelenskyy’s possible arrival would be a notable diplomatic event for the region. Since the beginning of the war, Serbia has maintained a complicated balance: Belgrade recognizes the territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea, but has not joined Western sanctions against Russia. Contacts between Zelenskyy and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić after 2022 have mainly taken place at international venues. In June 2025, Vučić visited Ukraine for the first time since the beginning of the full-scale war, taking part in the “Ukraine — South-Eastern Europe” summit in Odesa. At that time, he met with Zelenskyy but refused to sign the summit’s final declaration.
For economic relations, the possible visit of the Ukrainian delegation has independent significance even without confirmation of Zelenskyy’s participation. Ukraine and Serbia in recent years have been trying to intensify trade contacts, and the new business forum in Belgrade may become a platform for practical agreements between companies, including in the agricultural sector, energy, construction, and machine building.
Ukraine today is, in many ways, following the path that Israel has taken over the 78 years of its existence, said the Israeli ambassador to Ukraine during a ceremony marking Israel’s Independence Day.
“There are few countries in the world that understand each other better than Israel and Ukraine. In recent years, air raid sirens have often sounded simultaneously in Israel and Ukraine,” the ambassador said, addressing representatives of the Ukrainian government, the diplomatic corps, and Israel’s partners in Ukraine.
According to him, Ukraine’s successes in developing defense technologies “cannot fail to impress.”
The diplomat noted that the past year has been difficult for both countries, particularly for bilateral relations.
“The relationship between our countries is very close and often resembles a family bond. As in any family, difficulties sometimes arise, and we occasionally need the help of a ‘family therapist,’” he said.
The ambassador emphasized that in diplomacy, as in medicine, the principle of “do no harm” is crucial. According to him, during his nearly five years of service in Ukraine, he has strived to adhere to this principle.
In his speech, the diplomat also mentioned Golda Meir, who was born in Kyiv, and quoted one of her famous phrases: “Pessimism is a luxury that Jews can never afford.”
“Today, this applies equally to both Israelis and Ukrainians. I admire the resilience of our peoples, their ability to remain optimistic despite everything,” the ambassador noted.
He expressed confidence that, despite wars and terror, Israel and Ukraine will remain free and independent.
The diplomat also announced that his term in Ukraine is coming to an end in the near future.
“To say that this term has been special is an understatement. And yet, I regret only one thing: that peace has not come before the end of my work in Ukraine. I appeal to those on whom this depends: you still have three months. Now is the time to intensify these efforts,” he said.
The ambassador thanked the staff of the Israeli Embassy in Ukraine for their work in preserving and developing Israeli-Ukrainian relations, as well as partners and organizations that support cooperation between the two countries, including Nativ, Keren Kayemet LeIsrael, Keren HaYesod, Keren HaYedidut, the Joint, and Sohnut.
He also expressed his gratitude to the participants in the organization of the gala evening, including Honorary Consuls Oleg Vishnyakov and Andriy Rykota, Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Israel Ofer Kerzner, President of the Benish Group Haim Benesh, President of the Ukrainian Mineral Waters Corporation Hanna Kotlyarevska, and MTB Bank.
Israel celebrates Independence Day as the country’s main national holiday. In 2026, Israel will mark the 78th anniversary of the declaration of independence.
Diplomatic relations between Ukraine and the State of Israel were established on December 26, 1991, shortly after Ukraine’s declaration of independence. The Embassy of Ukraine in Tel Aviv began operations in October 1992, and the Embassy of Israel in Kyiv was opened in 1993. Since then, the countries have been developing political dialogue, humanitarian, cultural, and economic cooperation, as well as maintaining active ties between Ukrainian and Israeli societies.
