Kremlin Urges Serbia’s New Leaders to Maintain Russia Ties After Vucic’s Election Defeat

The Kremlin said Monday it hoped Serbia’s incoming leaders would maintain cooperation with Russia after a student-backed opposition movement defeated longtime Moscow-friendly leader Aleksandar Vucic in Sunday’s parliamentary 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.

Vucic conceded defeat on Oct. 25, saying preliminary estimates showed the Student List winning 135–140 seats in the 250-member parliament, compared with about 105 for his United Serbia coalition. A majority requires 126 seats.

The result marks a setback for one of Moscow’s closest political partners in Europe. Under Vucic, Serbia maintained close ties with Russia and refused to join Western sanctions over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, while continuing to pursue European Union membership.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the election result, calling it a “new chapter in the history of the country and its people.”

“We are ready to continue expanding our cooperation, and may all the good hopes of the people of Serbia come true!” Zelensky wrote on X.

Vucic predicts sanctions on Russia

Despite the Student List’s victory, a change in Serbia’s Russia policy is not guaranteed.

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Vucic predicted that the incoming authorities would impose sanctions on Russia by March or April 2027, but the movement had pledged before the election to oppose such measures.

In a foreign-policy platform published in September, the Student List said Serbia would continue to reject sanctions against Russia, citing the country’s own historical experience with restrictive measures.

Vucic also accused unnamed European countries and what he called an “American deep state” opposed to US President Donald Trump of backing his opponents. He provided no evidence for the allegations.

The movement emerged from nationwide student-led protests following the November 2024 collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad that killed 16 people.

Demonstrators demanded accountability over suspected corruption and construction failures, turning the protests into a broader challenge to Vucic’s political dominance.

Serbia’s balancing act between Moscow and Kyiv

Serbia has sought to balance its EU membership ambitions with longstanding ties to Moscow. Russia supplies Serbia with energy and backs Belgrade’s position on Kosovo, whose independence Serbia does not recognize.

Belgrade has also supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity and provided humanitarian and financial assistance to Kyiv, while avoiding sanctions against Moscow.

Vucic traveled to Moscow last year to attend commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II, despite criticism from European leaders.