Surprising move: US lifts sanctions on Milorad Dodik, pro-Russian nationalist leader of Bosnian Serbs
Vladimir Putin received the Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, wanted by Bosnian justice, at the Kremlin. Photo credit: Mikhail Tereshchenko / AP / Profimedia
The US Treasury Department on Wednesday lifted sanctions on Bosnian Serb nationalist leader Milorad Dodik, as well as his allies, family members and related companies, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced, according to Reuters.
OFAC did not explain why it removed from the list of sanctions dozens of Milorad Dodik's closest allies, including ministers of his government, as well as his son and daughter, writes News.ro. But Serbian officials said they had quietly worked to establish a more cooperative relationship with the US while maintaining friendly ties with longtime ally Russia.
Milorad Dodik is the former president of Bosnia's autonomous Republika Srpska, who was removed from office in August following a court ruling banning him from active politics.
He has been under US sanctions since 2017 for violating the Dayton peace accords that ended Bosnia's 1990s ethnic war and maintained the country's integrity.
Dodik thanks Trump
In a post on his X account, Milorad Dodik thanked US President Donald Trump and his associates for correcting what he called “the great injustice done to Republika Srpska, its representatives and their families.”
“The decision to lift the sanctions is not only a legal but also a moral rehabilitation of the truth about Republika Srpska and all those who serve it with honor,” said Dodik.
A pro-Russian nationalist, Dodik has long supported the secession of Republika Srpska from Bosnia and refused to resign as its president.
However, on October 18, Bosnian Serb lawmakers appointed an interim president, officially acknowledging for the first time that Dodik is stepping down after a state court banned him from politics. The interim president will hold office until the early presidential elections scheduled for November 23.
Parliament also overturned a number of separatist laws that were passed in the past year after Dodik was impeached for defying the rulings of Bosnia's international peace envoy and the Constitutional Court.
A new strategy?
The US State Department welcomed the measures, saying they were the result of US-led efforts “to defuse the crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina”.
“Dodik's compliance with the Sarajevo court's ruling indicates that he wants to remain on good terms with the Trump administration,” said Jay Truesdale, a former US diplomat with experience in the region. “He dropped the most important challenges to the Dayton Accords to appease the White House, although he retains the ability to launch another disruptive secession campaign,” the diplomat commented.
Dodik is challenging the state court's verdict at the Constitutional Court, which is expected to rule next week. He also contests the Electoral Commission's decision to revoke his presidential mandate.
Despite the appointment of an interim replacement, Dodik continued to perform his duties and travel abroad as president.
He declared that Republika Srpska would not change its policy, secession remaining its ultimate goal.
