By Mike Baruah. Our North America Correspondent.
Serbia’s president Aleksandar Vucic revealed on Saturday that the nation is in discussion with France to order at least 12 new Rafale fighter jets, reiterating the country’s desire to procure a French fighter jet.
Serbia has primarily depended on Russian military aircraft and equipment, but Vucic announced on his website that the country may order as many as 24 Rafales built by Dassault Aviation SA.
“We’ve been negotiating with them for a year about purchasing 12 new Rafales, and we’re also negotiating with another country about buying 12 used Rafales,” Vucic said. The comments came following a meeting with top commanders after a military exercise in central Serbia.
If the procurement plans go well, Belgrade will be able to modernize its MiG-21 and MiG-29 fleets, as well as 30 ex-Yugoslav Soko J-22 Orao and Soko G-4 Super Galeb warplanes.
When Croatia purchased 12 used Rafale jets from France in November 2021, Vucic indicated that Serbia would also procure the french fighter jet. “The Rafale is a remarkable plane, I would like it if we could buy new ones,” Vucic said in an interview with private Serbian broadcaster TV Prva in December.
The reelection of Aleksandar Vucic as president on April 3 is expected to speed up the process of procurement, the French website La Tribune reported. While the contract will take some time to finalize, Serbia could become the third European country to purchase the French Rafale fighter jet. Greece has agreed to buy 12 new and 12 used Rafale fighter jets, while Croatia has agreed to buy 12 used Rafale fighter jets.
Vucic is attempting to strike a balance between Serbia’s desire to join the European Union and maintaining amicable relations with Russia. The Russian-Serbian relationship encompasses a wide range of themes. Moscow provides natural gas, geopolitical support, and some defense supplies to the Balkan nation.
Even after ongoing Russia invaded Ukraine, the country, on the other hand, attempted to establish a delicate balance. For example, Serbia has not adopted EU sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, despite voting against Moscow in UN resolutions denouncing the war.