Kremlin says hopes Serbia's new leaders recognise benefits of Russia ties
Russia urges Serbia's new government to embrace cooperation benefits
The Kremlin said Monday that it hoped Serbia's new political leaders recognised the benefits of cooperation with Russia, after a student-led protest movement beat longtime Moscow-friendly leader Aleksandar Vucic in a national election.
"We would like to express hope... that these new political forces understand that cooperation with Russia is in Serbia's interests, because it brings benefits to Serbia," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky meanwhile welcomed the result as a "new chapter in the history of the country and its people".
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"We are ready to continue expanding our cooperation, and may all the good hopes of the people of Serbia come true!" Zelensky said in a post on X.
Vucic long juggled the competing interests of Serbia's European Union aspirations and its close ties to Russia. It has been one of the few European nations to maintain close ties to the Kremlin since Russia's full-scale offensive against Ukraine started in 2022.
Last year, Vucic went to Russia to take part in commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of victory in World War II.
