The leader of Bosnian Serbs, Milorad Dodik, stated on Saturday that he would ask Russia for “some kind of security support” after holding four meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow over the past two days.
Dodik said that Putin assured him that they would “remain in contact on all matters concerning joint agreements,” and regarding everything they discussed, Putin stated, “we will do it.”
“What we want to offer and request from Russia in the future are several issues that can be described as a form of security support, not to mention the guarantees from Russia for our political and territorial position, which we primarily draw from the fact that Russia is a guarantor of the Dayton Agreement,” Dodik said in Moscow to the media from the Bosnian Serb entity, Republika Srpska.
In an interview with Radio Television of Republika Srpska (RTRS), the Srna news agency, and Alternative Television (ATV), he emphasized that Russia “undoubtedly supports the position of that agreement, but not others, such as France, which is doing everything to undermine it.”
Dodik had previously met with Putin on April 1, when he traveled to Moscow and returned to Republika Srpska, avoiding arrest despite Bosnia and Herzegovina’s State Court issuing a national arrest warrant for him, accusing him of violating Bosnia’s constitutional order.
Dodik has so far avoided arrest within Bosnia, despite the country having 16 police agencies authorized to arrest him.
Leaders of Republika Srpska, particularly President Dodik, are criticized by Western governments for attempting to separate the Serb entity from Bosnia.
A few days ago, the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt, presented a six-month report to the UN Security Council regarding the situation in Bosnia. He emphasized that the country is in a “political crisis, but not a security crisis,” and there is “no risk of war.”
However, he noted that the situation regarding the Dayton Agreement has never been worse, and everything started after the first-instance ruling against Dodik, which was used by the authorities of Republika Srpska as a justification for steps toward a “de facto separation,” including the initiative to draft a new Constitution for the Serb entity.
Meanwhile, Dodik was among dozens of world leaders who participated in the Victory Day celebrations for World War II in Moscow.
Christian Schmidt, the International High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, presenting his six-month report to the UN Security Council on May 6, New York, USA.
In addition to Dodik, the only European leaders present were Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Putin and Vučić held a bilateral meeting, during which Putin praised the Russian-Serb dialogue, emphasizing that the leaderships of both countries maintain “regular contact.”
This was the first official meeting between Putin and Vučić since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The parade in Moscow was condemned by Western countries, calling it “propaganda” aimed at justifying Putin’s aggression against Ukraine.
