Serbia Buys 12 French Warplanes In $3-B Deal

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has announced a $3 billion deal to buy 12 French warplanes, marking a shift away from Serbia’s reliance on Russian arms, Dusan Stojanovic reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Serbia will be purchasing French-made Rafale multi-purpose fighter jets. I Photo: Tim Felce (Airwolfhound) Wikimedia Commons

The announcement regarding the Rafale multi-purpose fighter jets was made during a joint news conference in Belgrade with French President Emmanuel Macron, who was visiting Serbia as part of a strategy to bring Serbia closer to the European Union (EU).

Macron described the deal as “historic and important,” praising Serbia’s “strategic courage.”

“The EU needs a strong and democratic Serbia at its side, and Serbia needs a strong, sovereign Europe to defend its interests,” Macron said. “Serbia’s place is in the EU, and it has a role to play as an example for the entire region.”

Serbia is formally seeking EU membership, but under Vucic’s increasingly autocratic rule, it has made little progress in key areas such as the rule of law and democratic reforms, which are crucial for joining the 27-nation bloc, according to reports from Angela Charlton and Jovana Gec for AP