Serbia announces $3 billion deal to buy 12 French fighter jets, moving away from Russia

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced Thursday a $3 billion deal to buy 12 French fighter jets, a move that moves his country away from its reliance on Russian weapons.

The announcement of the Rafale multirole fighter jets came at a joint news conference in Belgrade with French President Emmanuel Macron during a two-day visit to Serbia as part of what French officials have called a strategy to bring Serbia closer to the European Union.

Macron called the deal “historic and important” and said it demonstrated Serbia’s “strategic courage.”

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

Serbia is officially seeking membership in the European Union, but under Vucic’s increasingly autocratic rule it has made little progress on the rule of law and democratic reforms, which are key prerequisites for membership in the 27-nation bloc.

The sale of Rafales to Serbia, a Russian ally that has at times expressed an aggressive stance toward its Balkan neighbors, has raised some concerns, particularly about how France plans to prevent the sharing of the Rafale’s sophisticated technology with Russia.

Asked whether the fighter jet deal includes restrictions on Serbia sharing Rafale technology with its Russian ally, or on the use of military hardware in the Balkan region, Macron said the agreement included “full guarantees like any defense agreement,” without elaborating.

Russia is a traditional supplier of military aircraft to Serbia, which has refused to join international sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

Vucic described the purchase of the Rafale jets as a “great” development. “It will significantly contribute to improving the operational capabilities of our army, a completely different approach and we are happy to be part of the Rafale club,” Vucic said.

Vucic dismissed any concerns among Western countries about the possibility of Serbia transferring technology to Russia because of the Balkan country’s traditional close ties with Moscow.

“For the first time in history, Serbia has Western aircraft,” Vucic said. “You want to have Serbia as a partner and then you express suspicions?”

French Rafale manufacturer Dassault Aviation said in a statement that Serbia’s decision to buy the fighter jets confirmed “the operational superiority of the Rafale and its proven excellence in serving the sovereign interests of a nation.”

Serbia has been considering buying new Rafale jets for more than two years, ever since its Balkan rival Croatia bought 12 second-hand fighter jets of the same type for about 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion).

The acquisition allows Serbia to modernize its air force, which is composed mainly of Soviet-made MiG-29 fighters and old Yugoslav combat aircraft.

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AP journalists Angela Charlton in Paris and Jovana Gec in Belgrade contributed to this report.