WARSAW, Poland — Serbia, one of Moscow’s staunchest allies in Europe, has been forced to cancel a number of contracts to purchase Russian weapons, according to Gen. Milan Mojsilović, the chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces.
As international sanctions continue to pressure Moscow, Belgrade is now shopping for military gear in other countries, such as Israel and China, but also in the West.
“When it comes to weapon deliveries from the Russian Federation, they are currently practically impossible. We are trying to find a way through diplomatic channels to overcome the newly created situation,” Mojsilović told local daily Večernje Novosti.
“We have terminated some contracts, and postponed some in the hope that the situation in international relations at global level will normalize and allow the implementation of the contracts,” Mojsilović said, indirectly referring to the war in Ukraine and the resulting sanctions on Russia.
The general did not specify what types of weapons were covered by the deals Belgrade decided to scrap or delay.
At the same time, Serbia’s military has “found a way to ensure a sustainable and flexible system of supplying spare parts and maintaining military equipment, even under the conditions of sanctions against Moscow” for its existing stocks of Soviet- and Russia-designed equipment, the general said.
While remaining outside NATO and pursuing a policy of military neutrality, Serbia has expressed interest in joining the European Union. In October 2024, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stated his country was determined to “accelerate” its efforts to become an EU member state. This nuanced policy towards the West has pushed Belgrade to distance itself from Russia’s defense industry, all while awarding major military contracts to European companies. These include Serbia’s purchase of 12 Rafale fighter jets from France.
Meanwhile, the Serbian government is also advancing military collaboration with Israel. In November 2024, Israel’s Elbit Systems announced that it was awarded deals worth around $335 million to deliver PULS rocket artillery systems and Hermes 900 drones to an unnamed European client. Earlier this month, Israeli daily Haaretz reported those contracts came from Serbia, whose industry supplies ammunition to the Israel Defense Forces.
At the same time, the Serbian authorities are investing in developing their ties with China. Belgrade recently announced the Chinese-made FK-3 air defense systems are now in service with the country’s Air Force.
Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.
