The meeting took place on the sidelines of an economic forum in Vladivostok, where Putin arrived after a state visit to Mongolia.
Russian television showed Putin telling Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin that Russia had invited President Aleksandar Vucic to attend the BRICS summit in Kazan in October.
Vulin said the fact that Serbia is both "an ally of Russia" and a strategic partner has put enormous pressure on the Balkan country.
"Serbia will never become a NATO member, will never impose sanctions on the Russian Federation and will never allow anti-Russian actions to be carried out from its territory," he added.
Serbia and Russia have historically close ties. Belgrade also remains a rare exception in Europe as it refuses to join international sanctions against the Kremlin over the war in Ukraine.
The meeting comes alongside a major arms deal signed last week between France and Serbia, under which Belgrade will buy 12 Rafale warplanes from France's Dassault Aviation.
The ten multi-role fighters will help Serbia modernise its air force and replace outdated Soviet-era warplanes.
After signing the deal, Vulin said that "the agreement was concluded for military and practical reasons and will in no way have a negative impact on relations between the Republic of Serbia and the Russian Federation."
Vulin has long been one of the Kremlin's strongest supporters among Serbia's ruling elite. In 2023, Vulin was sanctioned by Washington for alleged corruption while he was still head of the country's intelligence services. He stepped down from that post in November 2023 after coming under alleged pressure from the West. In early May, Vulin was appointed deputy prime minister. | BGNES
