Serbia – France: Contract Signed for Acquisition of 12 Rafale Fighter Jets

On the sidelines of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Belgrade, Serbia signed a contract with French aviation company Dassault for the delivery of 12 Rafale multi-role fighter jets. The document was signed by Serbian Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic and the French company CEO Pascal Daloz.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic emphasized that the total value of the contract is “2.7 billion euros and concerns the purchase of 12 aircraft that will belong to Serbia.” For his part, Macron emphasized that the agreement “is of historic importance because Serbia occupies an important place in the security of the entire European continent.”

Macron said the sale of Rafale fighter jets to Serbia represents a “strategic change” in the Balkan country’s foreign policy. “Many criticize Belgrade for its partnership with Russia and China,” Macron said, “whereas now it has a partnership with France.”

However, for the independent Serbian press, it was a “forced” decision to buy from France 12 Rafale aircraft, which were identified as “unreliable old-generation fighters.” Belgrade, of course, would prefer to buy very modern and obviously less expensive fighter-bombers “made in Russia,” but in the current geopolitical situation this is unthinkable.

While some Belgrade media characterized the deal as “billions down the drain,” others emphasized Vucic’s words regarding “Serbian ownership of the purchased aircraft,” suggesting that they could be resold later to an “African country.” There are those who have even suggested that this was a sophisticated operation by the Kremlin that will allow Russia to gain access to French and NATO military technology.

In this context, when asked whether Belgrade is “moving away from Moscow after signing a contract to buy twelve Rafale fighter jets from France’s Dassault,” President Vucic acknowledged the fact that Macron would like Serbia to also “impose sanctions” on Russia. “I am not ashamed of my decision,” Vucic said, also emphasizing that “it is unthinkable that Serbia would transfer French military technology to Russia.”