“A deterrent factor against any possible aggressor from the neighborhood.”
This is how Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić justified the need for new weapons purchases, which he reviewed this week while attending a military parade in Beijing.
There, he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and said he had used his participation in the parade to see “what might be interesting to buy for the needs of the Serbian Army.”
Serbia cooperates extensively with China in the defense sector, and its weapons purchases from Beijing have drawn criticism from the European Union – which Serbia seeks to join – and from the United States.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Serbia – despite declaring itself militarily neutral – has made the largest military expenditures in the Western Balkans over the past five years, buying arms from both the West and the East.
In 2024 alone, Serbia allocated $2.2 billion for its military – about five times more than NATO member Albania, which ranks second in the region for military spending.
This amount represents 2.6% of Serbia’s Gross Domestic Product.
Who “threatens” Serbia?
As justification for Serbia’s armament, Vučić often cites “threats from the neighborhood.”
“Everyone is arming themselves to the teeth. The region is arming as well, and it is our duty not to fall behind. All I can tell you is that we are not falling behind,” Vučić declared in January 2024.
He often says that Serbia “does not want to attack” anyone and that it is a “factor of peace and stability” in the Western Balkans, but at the same time, he portrays neighboring countries as a “threat” to Serbia’s security.
“We will not touch anyone, we will only defend our territory and integrity, and nothing more,” Vučić said in comments to Serbian media in Beijing.
During the same speech, he referred to the announcement of military cooperation between Croatia, Kosovo, and Albania, which signed a joint declaration in Tirana on March 18.
In this declaration, the three countries pledged cooperation and emphasized the importance of joint responses to security challenges, hybrid threats, and other risks.
Commenting on it, Vučić claimed it represented the formation of a military alliance “against Serbia.”
The Croatian government told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty at the time that the declaration by the three states did not aspire to the creation of any military alliance.
Serbia is surrounded by NATO member states.
Among Western Balkan countries, it is the only one that has no aspirations to join the North Atlantic Alliance.
Albania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia are NATO members, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo seek to join.
Serbia also borders Croatia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria – all members of NATO and the European Union.
Comparison with Croatia
In his remarks, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has paid special attention to the military capabilities of neighboring Croatia.
Relations between the two countries have been tense in recent years, with frequent accusations exchanged between officials in Belgrade and Zagreb.
“Serbia is watching what the Croatian Army has,” Vučić said on June 23, after attending an extended session of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff.
He also referred to Croatia after Serbia agreed with France in 2024 to purchase Rafale fighter jets.
“When they bought 12 Rafales, it was good news for the region, but when Serbia buys them, it is a tragedy. And our media are also participating in this narrative,” Vučić said in August 2024.
According to SIPRI data, Serbia that year allocated about $700 million more than Croatia for its military.
It had also spent more in the previous four years.
Where does Serbia obtain its weapons?
Data on how much and what Serbia imports and exports in terms of arms are kept secret and are not accessible through the Republic’s Statistical Office, as they are subject to confidentiality rules.
Serbia relied heavily on Russian weapons until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
However, it stopped such purchases after the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Although Serbia has formally expressed support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, Belgrade did not join Western sanctions against Russia, despite calls from Brussels and Washington.
The last equipment delivered to Serbia from Russia, two years after the start of the invasion, was the Repellent anti-drone system.
These had been part of an earlier contracted and paid-for purchase, but delivery had been delayed precisely because of the war in Ukraine.
Because of the new geopolitical circumstances and the war in Ukraine, Serbia turned to China, from which it bought combat drones and the FK-3 surface-to-air missile system.
In April, Serbia signed a new defense cooperation agreement with neighboring Hungary – an EU and NATO member – which Vučić hopes could serve as a step toward creating a military alliance.
