The Kremlin has welcomed the victory in the parliamentary elections announced by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

Serbia and Russia have historically had close ties, and Belgrade has not joined the international sanctions imposed on Moscow due to the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

On Sunday, Serbia held extraordinary parliamentary, local, and regional elections.

Vučić declared that his party, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), won the elections on December 17, while electoral authorities have so far released preliminary results with 35% of the votes counted.

“We welcome this achievement by Mr. Vučić,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

He added that Moscow hopes the result will lead to “further strengthening of friendship” between the two states.

Peskov also referred to Serbia as a “fraternal” state.

According to preliminary results, the electoral list “Aleksandar Vučić – Serbia dares not stop” won 50.42% of the votes in the parliamentary elections, while the list “Serbia against violence” won 19.25%. The third is the list “Ivica Dačić – Prime Minister of Serbia” with 7.19% of the votes.

A significant part of Serbia’s population has expressed support for Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine, expressing dissatisfaction with NATO’s military alliance supporting Kiev.

However, Belgrade is also an important center for Russians critical of Moscow’s war, and many who are leaving the country.

Serbia has condemned Russia’s aggression and supported United Nations resolutions condemning the war against Ukraine.

In November, the head of Serbia’s intelligence, Aleksandar Vulin, who visited Russia during the offensive against Ukraine, resigned, citing international pressure on Belgrade.