Serbia leader plans to seal French fighter jet deal with Macron

AFP: Serbia expects to sign a "huge" deal for French fighter jets during a visit this week from France's leader, President Aleksandar Vucic told AFP on Wednesday, in an agreement estimated to be worth billions of dollars.

Vucic made the comments ahead of President Emmanuel Macron's two-day visit to Serbia that kicks off on Thursday, with the duo expected to sign a range of bilateral deals.

The two leaders are also likely to discuss Serbia's frayed relations with breakaway province Kosovo.

The Serbian president did not specify the number of Rafale jets that would be purchased or the final cost if the agreement is signed.

"It's a huge contract for this country, and it's not a small contract even for France," said Vucic during an exclusive interview with AFP.

A source with the French presidency said "intense discussions" were ongoing. "Our hope is that we can reach an agreement during the president's visit," the source said.

Serbia's ministry of defence has previously said the country was looking to buy 12 planes from Paris to replace its ageing fighter jets.

Last year, Vucic hinted Belgrade was ready to spend an estimated three billion euros on French warplanes.

"Most of our aircrafts, all of our interceptors and all of our fighting jets were coming from Russia, and now we need to change ourselves, our habits and everything else in order to prepare our military," Vucic added.

It would be the latest in a string of arms deals inked with Europe, China and Russia as Belgrade upped its military spending over the past decade.

The potential move has been widely criticised by Western powers, including the US and France.

"Of utmost importance is to keep peace, stability, and tranquillity, and that's what we're going to do," Vucic told AFP.