Macron Clinches €2.7 Billion Warplane Deal to Help Anchor Serbia to Europe
- Serbia to get Rafale jets as first non-Russian combat aircraft
- Agreements likely to pave way for EDF, Alstom work in Serbia
Emmanuel Macron and Aleksandar Vucic shake hands at the Palace of Serbia in Belgrade on Aug. 29.
Photographer: Elvis Barukcic/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
France agreed to sell fighter planes to Serbia in a €2.7 billion ($3 billion) deal as the Balkan country strengthens ties with European Union heavyweights and pivots its defense orders away from traditional partner Russia.
President Emmanuel Macron and his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, announced the accord in Belgrade for 12 Rafale jets made by Dassault Aviation SA. The biggest ex-Yugoslav republic is almost entirely surrounded by NATO members and has sought to juggle its geopolitical and economic interests between the east and west.