5 hours agoU.S. Senators write to Rubio's Secretary of the Treasury: Set sanctions on Dodik's co-workers, region at risk
Periskopi(3 months ago)
(3 months ago)US Senators Jeanne Shaheen, senior member of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, Chuck Grassley, Roger Wuecker, Dick Durbin, Thom Tillis and Elizabeth Warren and representatives Mike Turner and Ann Wagner have sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent calling the administration [...]
US lawmakers warned that Milorad Dodik's continued separatist rhetoric, co-ordination with foreign actors, and efforts to undermine the Dayton Peace Agreement risk destabilising the Western Balkans at a critical moment, and urged the administration to implement new sanctions adopted at the National Defence Authority Act for Fiscal Year 2026 , sThe Express is missing, Periscope broadcasts.
They have also stressed that the administration's earlier decision to lift sanctions on Dodik has encouraged its behaviour and undermined US credibility in the region.
“We write with concern about the actions, rhetoric and foreign influence operations of former Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and his associates, which have significant implications for Bosnia and Herzegovina's territorial integrity”, writes lawmakers.
On January 9, 2026, Dodik, along with current and former official Republika Srpska government officials, organised and participated in Republika Srpska's Day Memorial Ceremonium, despite decisions by the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina about respecting that day. ”
“It is clear that Dodik's recent actions deserve an ongoing and careful review of”, lawmakers continued.
“From organisation and participation in events considered unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the amplification of divisive rhetoric and the vote for withdrawing Republika Srpska from the Dayton framework, its behaviour directly threatens regional stability. His engagement with foreign entities to advance independence further underscores the urgency of a US response. ”
Dodik's ongoing “Actions, namely those undertaken through the Republika Srpska government which direct lobbyists to advance independence, qualify as sanctionable activities according to the 8335 NDA session, given that these actions threaten peace, security, stability or territorial integrity of any area or state in the Western Balkans”, lawmakers concluded.
Therefore, we call on your relevant departments to make the relevant decisions for the individual, in accordance with the law. ”
