Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly expressed hope that Aleksandar Vučić will become Serbia’s next prime minister, offering a clear statement of support for the former Serbian president ahead of the country’s snap parliamentary elections on October 25.
Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club on October 1, Putin said Serbia’s current leadership was pursuing a “restrained policy” and demonstrating a desire to cooperate with Russia. He added that Moscow welcomed this approach and would respond in kind.
“Serbia’s current leadership, and Aleksandar Vučić, who was recently president and will, I hope, be prime minister in the future, pursues a restrained policy and shows a desire to cooperate with Russia. We certainly welcome this and will respond in kind,” Putin said.
Putin also spoke about Serbs in Europe, describing them as a “divided nation” and referring to the Dayton Agreement and developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina. His comments came shortly after his September 29 meeting in Moscow with Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik and Republika Srpska Prime Minister Savo Minić.
Vučić resigned as Serbia’s president on September 27, ending his second and final presidential term early. He is now seeking to return to the position of prime minister through the October 25 parliamentary elections. Serbia’s ruling Serbian Progressive Party has placed him at the head of its electoral list and nominated him as its candidate for prime minister if the list wins.
Putin’s remarks have drawn attention from analysts who monitor Russian influence in Serbia. Ivana Stradner of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said Moscow was supporting Vučić and had allegedly provided him with a “package for preserving the regime.”
Stradner also warned that Russian intelligence was allegedly preparing “hell” in Serbia for October 25. However, she did not publicly provide evidence or specific details substantiating what she was referring to, so the claim remains an allegation rather than an independently verified assessment.
The latest developments place Russia’s relationship with Belgrade prominently in the political debate ahead of Serbia’s October 25 vote. Putin’s explicit expression of hope that Vučić becomes prime minister, his recent meeting with Dodik, and Stradner’s warnings about possible Russian intelligence activity have all intensified scrutiny of Moscow’s role in the region.
