INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia on Wednesday, just days after Belgrade
signed a multi-billion-dollar fighter jet deal with France.The meeting took place on the sidelines of an economic forum in Vladivostok,
where Putin arrived on Tuesday after a state visit to Mongolia, according to Serbian media reports.Russian state television showed the
Kremlin leader telling Vulin that Moscow had invited Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to attend the BRICS summit in Tatarstan capital of
Kazan next month.Vulin, in his turn, said that Serbia "will never become a NATO member, will never impose sanctions on the Russian
close ties, with Belgrade standing out in Europe for its refusal to impose sanctions on Moscow over its full-scale invasion of
The advanced multi-role fighter jets will help Serbia modernize its air force, replacing its aging Soviet-era fleet.After the deal was
with Moscow.Vulin, known as one of the most pro-Kremlin figures in the Serbian government, was sanctioned by the United States in 2023 over
alleged corruption during his time as head of Serbia's intelligence services
He stepped down from that post in November 2023, reportedly under Western pressure, and was appointed deputy prime minister in May 2024.
