The Kremlin said on Tuesday that President Vladimir Putin enjoys good relations with Francois Fillon, the surprise winner of the first round of France’s right-wing presidential primary.

Former French Prime Minister, Francois Fillon, earlier won the first important victory in a bid for French presidency. On Sunday, he was the front-runner in the first round of the primaries held by the center-right Republicans party to select a presidential nominee.

"We are closely following the course of the election campaign in France," Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.

"France is our partner, the country Russia maintains good relations with, and the scope of cooperation with it could be bigger than now," Peskov said, cited by TASS agency.