June 11 (UPI) — Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will mark his first-ever official visit to Ukraine on Wednesday since he took the presidency nearly eights years ago to take part in a European summit.

Vucic will pay a one-day visit to Serbia’s war-torn northern neighbor, where he will participate in the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit in Odesa, the Serbian presidential office announced.

Few official details were shared.

Meanwhile, it’s expected to gather representatives from a dozen southeastern European nations, including newly-elected Romanian President Nicusor Dan, who is also on his first visit to Ukraine since his own election win last month.

European political experts say Vucic’s presence signals an EU-realignment for Serbia, which has largely remained neutral, with respect to Russia’s full-scale invasion and war in Ukraine.

In recent months, Russia and Serbia’s long-existing diplomatic ties have been strained.

Vucic took sharp criticism from EU officials regarding Serbia’s bid to enter the 27-member European Union after his recent trip to Moscow on May 9 for President Vladimir Putin’s military parade as one of few European leaders to attend.

It arrived as three people were killed and 68 others injured overnight after Russian forces hit civilian targets across the frontline regions of Kharkiv and Kherson.