Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

's planned visit to Serbia was canceled due to the plane being denied the necessary flyover permissions, Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic told Russia's ambassador to Serbia. The announcement followed reports that Serbia’s neighbors —Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Montenegro— had refused to allow Sergey Lavrov’s plane to fly through their airspace to reach Serbia.

• Some context: While formally seeking EU membership, Serbia has maintained friendly ties with Russia despite its invasion of Ukraine, refusing to join the sanctions against Moscow.