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

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. It’s a true demonstration of European spirit.’‘ An official in Mr. Macron’s office, who was not authorised to be identified according to French presidential policy, said the warplane deal was part of larger strategy of “bringing Serbia closer to the EU”. Serbia had been considering the purchase of the new Rafale jets for more than two years, since neighbouring Balkan rival Croatia purchased 12 used fighter jets of the same type for about 1 billion euros. Asked if there would be a clause restricting the use of the Rafales, the French official said “in any contract there are clauses that set a framework for the use of such material.” Serbia is formally seeking European Union membership, but under Mr. 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.