Putin approves sale of 6 warplanes to Serbia - report

Putin approves sale of 6 warplanes to Serbia - report

According to the report, "it is now up to Belgrade to declare itself on this offer from Moscow."

The newspaper said that President Tomislav Nikolic and the Serbian government are expected to respond, while "an obstacle could be the envisaged price of overhauling the existing aircraft."

"Moscow had allegedly put on the table the price of some 50 million dollars for the overhaul of the fighters currently in use, and the accompanying equipment," the daily writes.

But this price was too high for Belgrade, and was reduced thanks to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the article continued.

"Now it's up to Belgrade to weigh the economic price and the political consequences that the possible acquisition of Russian military equipment brings with it," the newspaper said.

If the offer is accepted, it would represent the finale of the several decades of efforts to renew the military aviation, the article concluded.

"No hesitation"

Asked to comment on the news on Friday, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said that Vladimir Putin's approval of the sale was "a sign of sincere cooperation, trust, and friendship."

"Serbia today has friends who do not hesitate to help it. Serbia today has friends it does not hesitate to cooperate with," Nikolic told Sputnik, and added:

"Serbia wants to spread friendship to all nations in the world and will not help anyone hate somebody else. We will not attack anyone, but we will provide for the defense of our country and our people."