US Removes Sanctions on Bosnian Serb Leader Dodik Following Political Developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Dodik has been under US sanctions since 2017.

The US Treasury Department announced on Wednesday the removal of sanctions against Bosnian Serb nationalist leader Milorad Dodik, his associates, family members, and affiliated companies, according to the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

OFAC provided no explicit reasoning for lifting restrictions on dozens of Dodik's closest allies, including government ministers, his children, and related business entities. However, Serb officials have suggested ongoing confidential negotiations to establish a new relationship framework with the United States.

Dodik formerly served as president of Bosnia's autonomous Serb Republic until August, when a court verdict banned him from political participation. The US initially imposed sanctions on him in 2017 for violating the Dayton peace agreement that ended Bosnia's ethnic conflict in the 1990s and preserved the country's territorial integrity.

As a pro-Russian nationalist, Dodik has consistently advocated for the Serb Republic's secession from Bosnia and refused to step down from his presidential position.

Nevertheless, on October 18, Bosnian Serb lawmakers officially acknowledged Dodik's departure by appointing an interim president—a Dodik ally who will serve until the scheduled early presidential elections on November 23. This marked their first formal recognition of his removal following the state court's political ban.

The parliament additionally nullified several separatist laws enacted over the past year after Dodik was indicted for defying decisions from Bosnia's international peace envoy and constitutional court.

The US State Department expressed approval of these developments, stating they resulted from US-led diplomatic efforts "to defuse the crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina."