Ahead of Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic’s meeting with President Vladimir Putin, media wrote that the two recent scandals involving arms export to Ukraine and spy affair, could cast a shadow over Vucic’s visit, the Beta news agency reported on Wednesday.

The Komersant daily wrote that following the scandals, it said had affected the two countries’ relationship, and the meeting should answer whether Serbia was ready to be a key Moscow’s ally in the region or would it continue to balance between Russia and the West.

“Vucic’s forthcoming visit and his discussions with Putin in Sochi are of principled importance,” the daily said. Citing its sources close to Belgrade’s authorities.

Komersant wrote that Serbia would try to keep the balance in its relations with Russia and the West, avoiding an apparent siding with either.

The Ria Novosti agency said that a series of scandals in Serbia that involved Russia was “the only shadow over the Putin – Vucic meeting,” adding the relationship between the two countries “is on a test.”

“Many events this autumn put a new light on the strategic partners’ relations,” the Agency said, adding the experts believed the scandals, after all, would not affect the relationship.

Both sides had already said that the arms trade affair and a spy scandal were unlikely to hurt Belgrade – Moscow friendship.