Original article (in Montenegrin) was published on 19/5/2025; Author: Marko Vukajlović
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was scheduled (archived: here) to visit Montenegro, as announced by President Jakov Milatovic. However, the visit never materialized.
Milatovic later stated (archived: here) that May 15 had been considered as a potential date, but at the time, there were rumors that Zelensky might meet (archived: here) face-to-face with Vladimir Putin in Turkey as part of peace negotiations, so that date was dismissed. Milatovic added that Saturday, May 17, was also an option, but on that day, Prime Minister Milojko Spajic was unable to attend due to previously scheduled obligations, so that plan also fell through. According to media reports, Spajic and Zelensky were expected to sign bilateral security agreements.
In light of the sequence of events, the outlet Adria published a short clip on social media in which Milatovic explains what happened, with the following caption: (archived: here)
Spajic “snubbed” Zelensky
Judging by this, it appears as if the Montenegrin Prime Minister deliberately skipped the meeting with the Ukrainian leader.
However, the Government’s official website announced on May 15 that Spajic would be leading the Montenegrin delegation to the Vatican starting Saturday, May 17 (archived: here):
“Prime Minister Mr. Milojko Spajic will lead the Montenegrin delegation from May 17–19, 2025, at the inauguration ceremony of Pope Leo XIV. The formal inaugural mass for the appointment of Pope Leo XIV will be held at St. Peter’s Square.”
This was also reported by other media outlets (archived: here).
The proposal platform for the Montenegrin delegation’s visit to the Vatican was officially registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 14.
Zelensky also had a tight schedule during that period. On Thursday, May 15, he met (archived: here) with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, though in Ankara — not Istanbul, where a potential meeting with Putin had been speculated. In Istanbul, delegations from the two countries held negotiations (archived: here). Then, on May 16, Zelensky participated in the European Political Community Summit in Tirana, where he ultimately met (archived: here) with President Milatovic. The following day in Rome, he held a series of bilateral meetings before attending the inauguration of newly elected Pope Leo XIV — as did Prime Minister Spajic. (archived: 1, 2, 3)
Although Adria may not have intended to portray the entire saga of Zelensky’s planned visit to Montenegro in a negative light, some media outlets launched an overt campaign against his arrival. The IN4S portal, for instance, published a series of articles with titles such as: “Dogs of War Are Coming to Montenegro: Why is neo-Nazi Zelensky welcome in Podgorica?”; “Podgorica or Istanbul: Where will Zelensky show his true face?”; “When is total capitulation announced? Podgorica isn’t choosing between Moscow and Kyiv, but between lies and truth”; “Zelensky’s visit and (anti)fascism: Will Podgorica follow in the footsteps of the aggressive minority in Cetinje?”
(archived: 1, 2, 3, 4)
In the end, Zelensky did not come — but all evidence suggests that Prime Minister Spajic did not deliberately avoid him.
According to media reports, the government led by Spajic had previously coordinated a ten-year security cooperation agreement with Ukraine, which is expected to be signed by both the Montenegrin Prime Minister and the President of Ukraine.
Given all of the above, the disputed claim is rated as a manipulation of facts.
The “Manipulation of Facts” rating is given to a media report that uses known and accurate facts but interprets them in a deceptive manner. These reports generally employ accurate information to draw incorrect conclusions or claims, leading media consumers to draw conclusions that differ from the actual meaning of the presented facts.
