Bosnian Serb president promises to remain loyal to “friend” Putin: “West is trying to convince us to support sanctions” | Abroad

Putin and Dodik sat together in the Russian city of Kazan, in the southwest of the country. During the conversation, the Russian president thanked his “friend” for, among other things, “maintaining ties with Russia”.

64-year-old Milorad Dodik is the President of the Serbian Republic. That sub-area, together with the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (also called the Muslim-Croat Federation, ed.), forms the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Dodik claimed during the meeting that the Serbian Republic is “under Western control.” “We are living in a difficult situation and we are very happy that you understand it,” he told Putin. The Bosnian Serb president also promised that he will do everything he can to prevent Bosnia and Herzegovina from joining Western sanctions against Moscow. “Even though the West is literally trying to talk us out of it,” says Dodik.

Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the G7 (Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States) introduced several sanctions, such as a price ceiling on Russian oil, with the aim of economy to plummet and make financing the war more difficult.

Finally, the Bosnian Serb president emphasized that he has “excellent ties” with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Hungarian President Viktor Orban. “That obviously makes things easier for us, especially as far as Europe is concerned,” he said.

The last time Putin and Dodik met was in May 2023. Even then, Dodik guaranteed that the Serbian Republic would remain “pro-Russian, anti-Western and anti-American.”