Serbia discusses price of French Rafale jets, in shift from ally Russia

Serbia is still seeking to buy Rafale fighter jets from France’s Dassault but is discussing the price and related weapons systems, the president said on June 9, in a further sign of Belgrade’s shift away from its longtime arms supplier Russia.

“Financing is an issue,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told Reuters in an interview, adding talks continued about which missiles to use and the price tag for the plane deal, which he last year put at around 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion).

Serbia, a candidate to join the European Union that has one of the largest militaries in the Balkans, still relies on Soviet-designed aircraft, such as MiG-29 jets and MI-35m helicopter gunships, alongside Russian missiles and tanks.

Vucic said purchasing Rafale jets “would make Serbia a different country and a much bigger force.”

In addition to Soviet and Russian air defences, Serbia has Chinese combat drones and mid-range surface-to-air missiles.