Serbia plans to buy Rafale multirole fighters from France, President Aleksandar Vucic said.

"We have been negotiating this purchase of 12 new jets for a year, and we are also looking at buying another 12 used (Western) planes from another country," Vucic told Reuters. He did not specify the type of the used planes.

Serbia and Dassault Aviation have discussed buying 12 Dassault Rafale aircraft, the French weekly La Tribune reported last week.

Serbia bought French Mistral surface-to-air missile systems in 2019 and bought helicopters from Airbus in 2016.

"We have an interest in this (procurement of Rafales), we are looking at the best way to pay for them without jeopardizing our public finances," Vucic said without elaborating further.