Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced the nation had entered a three-year gas deal with Russia while speaking to Serbian TV channel Pink, in an interview, Sunday. He explained the deal was “advantageous” for the former USSR member. 

The nation, formerly known as Yugoslavia, is poised to sign another three-year deal with Gazprom after the current 10-year deal with the Russian state energy provider expires. 

“This is hands down the cheapest price in all of Europe. What we agreed to, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and I, is very advantageous for Serbia, and so we will sign another contract, the first part, which is a three-year contract”, Vucic said. 

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The Serbian president had been in talks with his Russian counterpart, after which Russian state media RIA Novosti reported that Kremlin confirmed Moscow’s decision to “continue to supply uninterrupted natural gas to Serbia”. 

Serbia, almost entirely dependent on Russian gas, is neither a member of NATO nor the European Union (EU). While the nation has, in two instances, backed United Nations resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Serbia hasn’t imposed sanctions on Moscow

The European nation isn’t the only country that’s finding it hard to turn down Russian gas at discounted rates. Even as the West has snubbed Moscow’s energy resources, refusing to pay in rubles, and opting for alternates, as a way to put the financial squeeze on Putin, countries like India have gladly accepted deals to import Russian crude. 

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Indian finance minister S Jaishankar had, at the time, defended his decision, saying “When the oil prices go up, I think it’s natural for countries to go out in the market and look for what are the good deals for their people.”

With a few countries continuing to agree to buy Russian energy, Moscow finds itself in brief economic reprieves from the crippling weight of sanctions imposed by the West.