Serbia wants to have the Russian S-400 air defense system as part of its armed forces, but so far cannot afford it, said President Alexander Vucic.
Vučić on Friday visited the Bataynitsa military airfield near Belgrade, where the Slavic Shield exercises are held. He confirmed that Belgrade purchased one Pantsir-S air defense missile system, and stressed Serbia’s desire to have the S-400 complex.
“When people ask what we would like, we would like to afford to have the S-400 now. But only if the Russians leave it for us, otherwise we cannot afford the S-400. These are systems that guarantee security for your people and your country , for future generations, and if we can afford it one day, we’ll do it”, – said the Serbian leader, whose words are quoted in the message of the country’s Ministry of Defense.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that the S-400 Russian anti-aircraft systems division and the Shell-S battery had been transferred to Serbia, where they were taking part in exercises abroad for the first time. For the Serbs, the arrival of Russian air defense systems in the year of the 20th anniversary of the NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is symbolic.