Serbia wants to buy Rafale fighter jets from France, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said while visiting Paris this week.

The French side appears hesitant, however, given Belgrade’s continued close relations with both Moscow and Beijing.

French media reported that Dassault did not want to comment on the Serbian request, but noted that the Serbian order is for 12 aircraft whose cost is estimated at 3 billion euros. France and Serbia signed a defence cooperation agreement in 2011, which was renewed in 2019.

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Serbia’s defence spending now exceeds 2% of its GDP and has tripled in the last 10 years to €1.4 billion. Between 2014 and 2023 Serbia spent €2.67 billion to buy weapons systems from China and Russia.

The Belgrade government has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine but has not aligned itself with Western sanctions against Moscow. French political analysts believe it would be extremely risky for France to sell Rafale to Serbia, which still maintains close relations with Russia.