BELGRADE, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Serbia will sign a

three-year gas import deal with Russia next month, securing an

annual supply of 2.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas, the

head of the state gas company told public broadcaster RTS on

Tuesday.

Srbijagas' Dusan Bajatovic said that Serbia has already

arranged daily supplies of 2.5 million cubic metres of gas from

Azerbaijan and receives an additional 9.5 million cubic metres

daily from Russia.

Bajatovic also said that Serbia's sole gas storage facility

holds 780 million cubic metres of natural gas, with an option

for an additional 200 million cubic metres to be sourced from a

storage facility in Hungary if needed.

Serbia remains one of Europe's few remaining buyers of

Russian natural gas, even as it seeks membership in the European

Union.

The government has faced pressure from Western nations to

align with EU sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine

but has yet to take action.

The country's oil monopoly NIS which is majority

owned by Russia's Gazprom Neft and Gazprom

is seeking a seventh waiver to postpone U.S. sanctions that

would put at risk its crude oil supply.

Later on Tuesday, president Aleksandar Vucic is meeting U.S.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss tariffs and sanctions

against NIS, among other things.