BELGRADE, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Monday that he has secured a highly favorable extension of natural gas supplies from Russia following a 50-minute phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, while also warning Europe of a potential energy crisis.
Speaking at a press conference in Belgrade, Vucic said the new agreement extends Serbia's current gas contract by an additional three months under existing below-market terms. Serbia will continue to receive 6 million cubic meters of gas per day at a price ranging between 320 U.S. dollars and 330 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic meters, based on an oil-indexed pricing formula.
Vucic noted that the arrangement also provides flexibility for Serbia to increase import volumes in the event of harsh weather conditions or natural disasters.
"In Europe, we will probably be the second or third country with the lowest gas price," Vucic said.
Beyond energy cooperation, the two leaders discussed long-term bilateral collaboration for the 2026 to 2030 period. According to Vucic, the talks covered pharmaceutical partnerships, potential atomic energy cooperation, and the involvement of Russian Railways in Serbian infrastructure projects.
The Serbian president also warned that any potential ground offensive against Iran could trigger "the greatest energy and economic catastrophe in history" for Europe and the wider world.
"Europe cannot withstand this. No one can withstand this," Vucic said, urging European leaders to pursue immediate diplomatic solutions and engage with all available global energy suppliers, including Russia, to mitigate the risks of a crisis. ■