The fifth Ukraine–Southeast Europe Summit was held in Kyiv on 15 July, bringing together leaders and senior officials from across Southeast Europe in a format that has become an important platform for political dialogue since its launch in 2023. The summit concluded with the adoption of the Kyiv Declaration, reaffirming support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, European integration and regional security cooperation.
Hosted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, this year’s summit was attended by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Albanian President Bajram Begaj, Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Romanian President Nicușor Dan, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, North Macedonia’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for European Affairs Bekim Sali, Montenegro’s Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Filip Ivanović and Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova, while Greek President Constantine Tassoulas joined virtually.
The summit focused on Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, strengthening regional and Black Sea security, expanding defence cooperation, supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction and accelerating the country’s path towards European Union membership. Leaders also discussed energy security, resilience against hybrid threats and closer political coordination among Southeast European partners.
One of the most closely watched events was the meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Aleksandar Vučić, during which the Serbian president pledged additional humanitarian assistance and support for the reconstruction of Ukrainian communities, while stopping short of signing the joint declaration because of Serbia’s position on sanctions against Russia.
The summit concluded with the adoption of the Kyiv Declaration, which reaffirmed support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and European integration, while condemning Russia’s ongoing aggression and calling for continued international support for Kyiv. All participating countries signed the declaration except Serbia. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said he deliberately chose not to sign the document, explaining that while Serbia continues to support Ukraine’s territorial integrity and provide humanitarian assistance, it maintains its longstanding position of not joining declarations that include calls for additional measures against Russia. Despite not signing the declaration, Vučić described the summit as constructive and reiterated Serbia’s commitment to regional dialogue and peace.
The Ukraine–Southeast Europe Summit was first launched in Athens in August 2023, before subsequent meetings were held in Tirana in 2024, Dubrovnik in 2024, Odesa in 2025 and now Kyiv, reflecting the growing role of Southeast European countries in supporting Ukraine politically, economically and diplomatically. Although the summit itself did not produce bilateral treaties among participating states, it served as a platform for several high-level meetings on the sidelines.
