Putin says Russia will offer good gas deal to Serbia

SOCHI – Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Moscow would proceed providing earthy state to Serbia connected presumption favorable to its ally.

Putin voiced assurance that a caller declaration for state supplies to Serbia would beryllium signed rapidly to regenerate the existent 1 that expires astatine year-end.

“We volition find a solution that would decidedly beryllium acceptable to our Serbian friends,” Putin said astatine the commencement of talks astatine his Black Sea residence successful Sochi with visiting Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic,

Putin besides noted that Russia would proceed to staunchly enactment Serbia amid recent tensions with Kosovo.

“We enactment your presumption connected the Kosovo settlement, and I anticipation that the concern volition yet germinate successful a mode that would conform to the interests of each radical surviving successful the region,” helium said.

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Kosovo was a Serb state until a 1998-1999 insurrection by taste Albanian rebels sparked a bloody Serbian crackdown. That pushed NATO to transportation retired a 78-day bombing run to unit Serbian troops retired of Kosovo. The warfare near much than 10,000 radical dead. Kosovo declared independency successful 2008, but Serbia hasn’t recognized it. Kosovo-Serbia ties stay tense contempt a European Union-facilitated dialog implicit the past decennary to normalize them.

Vucic hailed adjacent ties betwixt Serbia and Russia and peculiarly noted a precocious level successful defence cooperation.

Although formally seeking EU membership, Serbia has refused to align its overseas policies with the 27-nation bloc and has alternatively strengthened its confederation with Russia and China.

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