Sometimes one sentence tossed from behind says more than an entire summit. At the EU - Western Balkans meeting in Tivat, while Vučić was answering reporters' questions, Czech PM Andrej Babiš walked up behind him, called out something and made everyone present laugh: "Hi Aleksandar, are we going in?"

The scene is tiny, but the symbolism isn't. Vučić at that moment was busy listing everyone he'd met - Romania's Raden, Czechia's Babiš, Slovakia's Fico - and announced talks with leaders from Poland, Ireland, the Netherlands and the Austrian chancellor. A whole list of names lined up like trophies, interrupted by the real, unscripted moment - someone who simply wants to get inside because the meeting is starting.

The Tivat summit gathered heavy names: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, French President Macron, German Chancellor Merz. The Western Balkans and Brussels at the same table again, again with the same promises of a "European perspective" the region has been hearing for decades.

And here's what's worth asking. How many of these summits end in a concrete step, and how many in a photo op and sentences about a "shared future"? The Balkans have stood at the EU's door so long that they already know every frame by heart - the handshakes, the group photos, the statements that "progress has been noted." Babiš, at least, was honest: in the end all of diplomacy comes down to whether you go into the room or stand outside talking about how you'll get in.