France and Serbia have signed a significant deal worth $3 billion for the sale of 12 French-built Rafale fighter jets. This agreement, finalized on Thursday, comes at a time when European nations are seeking to distance Serbia from its close ties with Russia. The contract was signed by Serbian Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic and Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Belgrade.

“We are pleased to become part of the Rafale club. We thank the President of France for making this decision and enabling the purchase of the new Rafales,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated to the press during the signing ceremony.

President Macron commented that the deal would help bring Serbia, which has maintained strong political and economic connections to Russia for many years, closer to the European Union (EU). This agreement marks the largest arms sale to Serbia since 2006, and the country has historically been a frequent purchaser of Russian military equipment.

Macron described the deal as a sign of “strategic courage” and a “genuine demonstration of the European spirit.” However, critics have pointed out that the agreement rewards an increasingly authoritarian government in Belgrade, which continues to embrace revisionist narratives regarding past human rights violations and holds territorial ambitions that threaten the integrity of neighboring countries.

The agreement may assist Serbia in modernizing its military, which has long relied on Soviet-era technology and military equipment. Belgrade has shifted away from military collaboration with Moscow since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but it has not joined other European nations in imposing sanctions.

Serbia has expressed interest in becoming a member of the EU, but these aspirations have been hampered by issues such as corruption, rule of law, and complicated relations with neighboring Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008—a move that has provoked anger among Serbian nationalists.

Recently, the Serbian government has faced street protests against a proposed lithium mining project, which the EU views positively but was previously suspended following large demonstrations in 2022.