The Kremlin hopes that former Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić will continue to support closer relations with Russia despite his party’s defeat in the parliamentary elections, while also expressing optimism that Serbia’s incoming political leadership will maintain cooperation with Moscow.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on October 26 that Moscow expects Vučić, whose party lost the election, to remain active in Serbian politics and continue contributing to bilateral relations, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency, as reported by The New Voice of Ukraine.
Peskov expressed hope that Vučić would continue to “contribute to the development of bilateral relations” even as he moves into opposition.
The Kremlin also said it hopes the new political force taking power in Serbia will preserve what Peskov described as constructive cooperation with Russia.
“Cooperation with Russia is in Serbia’s interests,” Peskov said, arguing that such cooperation primarily benefits Serbia itself.
The comments indicate that Moscow wants to preserve its political relationship with Belgrade despite the change in Serbia’s political leadership.
Serbia has maintained close ties with Russia while pursuing its own path toward European Union membership. Belgrade has not joined Western sanctions against Moscow, although its relations with the West have also included defense cooperation and other economic and political ties.
Whether Serbia’s incoming leadership will maintain the same approach toward Russia remains to be seen. The Kremlin’s public statements suggest that Moscow hopes to retain its influence in Serbia regardless of the election outcome.
