After arriving to a rousing red-carpet welcome in Belgrade, Putin said Russia would back efforts to maintain calm.
"Russia, like Serbia, is interested in the situation in the Balkans remaining stable and not dangerous," Putin told reporters at a joint news conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
As part of the event, Vucic presented Putin with a puppy of the Sarplaninac breed, a shepherd dog from the region. Meanwhile, Putin awarded his counterpart a Russian state honour. The Russian president's visit was marked by tens of thousands of Serbs who marched through the capital in a parade in his honour.