Energy Diplomacy: Putin and Vucic's Strategic Dialogue

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic discussed energy cooperation, focusing on oil, gas, and nuclear power. Serbia, reliant on Russian gas, recently secured a three-month supply extension. As Serbia aims for EU membership, it grapples with balancing Western relations while maintaining strong ties with Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin engaged in a phone dialogue with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to deliberate on joint energy endeavors, particularly oil, gas, and nuclear power, as announced by the Kremlin on Monday.

President Vucic relayed earlier that Serbia secured an extension for its gas supplies from Russia for an additional three-month period following discussions with Putin.

With deep political and energy affiliations with Russia, Serbia is heavily dependent on Russian gas resources. Although Serbia has condemned Russia's incursion into Ukraine, it abstains from aligning with Western sanctions, striving to balance its EU membership aspirations with maintaining robust ties with Moscow.

(With inputs from agencies.)