Serbia announces $3 billion deal to buy 12 French warplanes, in a shift away from Russia

BELGRADE, Serbia -- BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Thursday announced a $3 billion deal to buy 12 French warplanes, in a move that shifts his country away from its dependence on Russian arms.

The announcement about the Rafale multi-purpose fighter jets was made during 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 of bringing Serbia closer to the European Union.

Macron called 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, 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 all the region."

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

Selling Rafales to Russian ally Serbia, which has occasionally expressed an aggressive stance toward its Balkan neighbors, has raised some concerns, one of which is how France plans to prevent sophisticated Rafale technology from being shared with Russia.

Asked about whether the warplane deal includes restrictions on Serbia’s sharing of Rafale technology to its ally Russia, or the use of the military hardware in the Balkan region, Macron said the deal included ″full guarantees like any defense agreement,” without elaborating.

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

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

Vucic dismissed any concerns among Western nations of the possibility that Serbia would transfer technology to Russia because of the Balkan country's traditional close ties with Moscow.

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

The French maker of Rafale, Dassault Aviation, said in a statement that Serbia's decision to buy the warplanes confirms “Rafale's operational superiority and its proven excellence in serving the sovereign interests of a nation.”

Serbia had been considering the purchase of the new Rafale jets for more than two years, since neighboring Balkan rival Croatia purchased 12 used fighter jets of the same type for about 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion).

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

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AP writers Angela Charlton in Paris and Jovana Gec in Belgrade contributed to this story.