Rubio Holds Talks With Serbian President at UN, Avoids Trump Question

NEW YORK (THE PAVLOVIC TODAY) — On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Secretary of State Marco Rubio held his first meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Tuesday, a session that U.S. officials described as focused on strengthening bilateral relations.

During a pool spray at the top of the meeting, The Pavlovic Today asked Secretary Rubio whether he intended to build on what President Donald Trump did during his first term, but the secretary refused to answer.

At the pool spray with @predsednikrs @avucic I asked @SecRubio what he expects from U.S.-Serbia relations and if he wants to build on what @realDonaldTrump did in the first term.

The Pavlovic Today is at UNGA reporting on the first line of history pic.twitter.com/ZiURZW3c4U

— Ksenija Pavlovic McAteer | The Pavlovic Today (@ksenijapavlovic) September 23, 2025

That record is hardly insignificant. The 2020 economic normalization agreements between Belgrade and Pristina, led by then-special presidential envoy Richard Grenell, were a deal Trump publicly argued should have earned him a Nobel Prize.

Rubio, however, declined to answer the question about the foreign policy successes of President Donald Trump in the Western Balkans.

According to principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott, the discussion between Rubio and Vucic covered “the deepening partnership between the United States and Serbia, including through a bilateral strategic dialogue and U.S. participation in Expo 2027.”

For Serbia, EXPO 2027 represents a marquee opportunity to showcase Belgrade on the global stage. Vucic, for his part, issued a fuller readout after the meeting. On Instagram, he said the focus of the bilateral meeting was on trade and tariffs, along with the prospect of American investment, energy cooperation and new technologies.

“I emphasized that Serbia is committed to preserving peace and stability as a prerequisite for further progress and a better life for all citizens,” Vucic wrote. He thanked the United States for its role in protecting the Serbian community in Kosovo and contributing to the Belgrade–Pristina dialogue, while also noting U.S. support for Serbia’s push to join the European Union, which he called a strategic priority.