Serbia Interested In Russian S-300 Missile Systems

Serbia has begun talks with Russia and Belarus over the purchase of S-300 surface-to-air missile systems, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said.

Vucic told reporters Sunday that he seeks to buy two divisions of the Russian-made S-300 anti-air missile system, saying that negotiations are underway both with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko.

“I mentioned it during the talks with President Putin, and we talked about it. We discussed it with President Lukashenko as well,” he stressed.

The S-300 system cost around $120m each. According to officials, Belgrade will strike a special deal with Russia and lease the system, thus saving substantial money, but still obtaining the system.

In January, Serbian Defense Minister Zoran Djordjevic also mentioned that Belgrade planned to open negotiations on the purchase of anti-missile systems with Belarus.

As for striking a deal with Moscow, there have been no official statements on the matter from either Serbian or Russian officials.