Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said on Friday after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Kremlin supports Serbian authorities as they face growing anti-government protests.
Anti-corruption protests led by university students have spread across the Balkan country over the past four months, since 15 people lost their lives in the aftermath of a roof collapse at a train station in Novi Sad, Serbia's second largest city, A2 reports.
In a post on his Instagram account, President Vučić said that he and President Putin discussed what he described as "a color revolution," a reference to the uprisings in former Soviet states.
"I thanked him for the fact that Russian officials do not support the color revolution. President Putin had a very clear position on this, Russia understands well what is happening and will continue to support the legitimate authorities in Serbia," he said.
His conversation with the Russian leader took place as students in Serbia have taken to the streets in protest and called for a general strike.
The almost daily protests are attended by tens of thousands of people and have shaken the firm grip on power by President Aleksandar Vučić, who has described the protests as a Western-organized attempt to oust him from power.
Serbia is officially on track to join the European Union, but it maintains close ties with Russia and has refused to join Western sanctions against Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
Without giving details, President Vučić said he spoke with President Putin about the renewal of a gas agreement that expires on May 31 and about US sanctions on the Russian-owned Serbian Oil Industry.
In early January, the United States imposed sanctions on Russia's oil sector and gave Gazprom Neft 45 days to relinquish ownership of the Serbian oil industry.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control at the US Treasury Department on February 27 extended the deadline for one month./ Voice of America (A2 Televizion)
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