Putin to meet with Serbia's deputy PM

BELGRADE — Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin was set to meet President Vladimir Putin in Russia on Wednesday, nearly a week after Belgrade signed a multi-billion-dollar fighter jet deal with France.

The meeting was set to take place on the sidelines of an economic forum in Russia's Vladivostok, according to Serbian media reports, where Putin arrived on Tuesday following a state visit to Mongolia.

Serbia and Russia have historically close ties.

Belgrade has also remained a rare outlier in Europe for refusing to join international sanctions against the Kremlin following its invasion of Ukraine.

The meeting comes on the heels of a major arms deal signed between France and Serbia last week that will see Belgrade purchase 12 Rafale warplanes from France's Dassault Aviation.

The dozen multi-role fighter aircraft will help Serbia modernise its air force and replace ageing Soviet-era combat jets.

Following the signing of the deal, Vulin told Russian news agency TASS that the agreement "was done for military and practical reasons and will in no way have a negative impact on relations between the Republic of Serbia and the Russian Federation".

Vulin has long been one of the strongest supporters of the Kremlin among the Serbian governing elite.

Vulin was hit with sanctions by Washington in 2023 over alleged corruption when he was still head of the country's intelligence services.

He stepped down from that post in November 2023, after facing alleged Western pressure.

Vulin was appointed deputy prime minister at the beginning of May.