Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on September 2, as Belgrade seeks to secure a new gas supply deal with Moscow despite strains in their relationship over the war in Ukraine.

The two leaders spoke in Russian on the sidelines of events marking the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in World War II. Vucic said energy remained Serbia’s top priority in relations with Moscow, highlighting the importance of a new natural gas arrangement before the current contract expires at the end of September.

“We need more and more gas supplies. We buy small but significant quantities from Azerbaijan, but most of our needs come from Russia,” Vucic told reporters after the talks.

Belgrade’s existing deal, temporarily extended in May for four months, allows Serbia to import 6.1mn cubic metres of gas daily at a discounted €290 per 1,000 cubic metres, well below European market rates. Vucic said he expects a new agreement with Gazprom to be finalised this month.

Despite voting against Russia in several United Nations resolutions since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Serbia has resisted joining Western sanctions, citing its military neutrality. Russia remains a key supplier of energy and an ally in Belgrade’s dispute with Kosovo, while the EU has pressed Serbia to align with its foreign policy as part of accession talks.

Relations with Moscow soured in June when Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service scolded Serbia for supplying arms to Ukraine through third parties, calling it an attempt to “stab Russia in the back.” The claims fuelled speculation that Belgrade risked losing Moscow’s support.

Vucic attempted to quash those rumours on September 2, thanking Putin for backing Serbia’s territorial integrity and reiterating that all Russian companies, including energy giant Rosatom and railway operator RZD, were welcome in Serbia.

“Regardless of the pressure we have been under since the start of the crisis in Ukraine, we have preserved our principled position and defended Serbia’s independence,” Vucic said.

Moscow has few allies in the Balkans beyond Serbia and Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity, Republika Srpska, forcing it to tolerate Vucic’s balancing act between Russia, China and the West if it wishes to maintain influence in the region.