Belgrade’s 10-year gas supply contract with Gazprom expires on May 31.
The new gas deal is likely to be signed during a visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Belgrade early in June
Vucic said:
- Serbia needs larger quantities of gas, but if I may say so, we will have a safe winter and further talks will determine how much gas will cost us
- Serbia will continue to buy Russian gas at a price determined by a similar formula to the existing one, which is linked to global oil prices
- The price is expected to be $340-$350 per 1,000 m3 of gas
- That is not the final price because it will depend on the quantity that will be delivered
Russia’s deal with Serbia follows after Moscow cut off gas exports to EU members Finland, Poland and Bulgaria.
Cutoffs to other European countries are possible if they refuse to pay in rubles.
In recent days, Putin said that Russia will continue to supply gas to Italy and Austria in line with contract obligations, after phone calls with the countries' leaders.