Moscow, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 2nd Apr, 2025) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday received the wanted leader of Bosnia’s ethnic Serbs, Milorad Dodik, in the Kremlin, a day after Dodik had announced a visit to Moscow.
The Kremlin showed footage of Putin shaking hands with Dodik in a Kremlin hall, saying he was “very happy” to see him in the Russian capital.
Dodik is the target of an arrest warrant over accusations of seeking to secede and flouting the constitution. Bosnian prosecutors had issued an international warrant for his arrest last week.
The Kremlin aired footage of the Russian leader — himself the target of an international warrant for his actions in Ukraine — greeting Dodik and smiling.
“Dear Mr President, I am very happy to see you in Moscow,” Putin said in the short clip published by the Kremlin.
Dodik is a Russian ally and the head of Bosnia’s Serb-dominated Republika Srpska statelet.
He later said on social media that he held his “26th meeting” with Putin, whom he said he had backing from, calling Russia a “guarantor” of peace in Bosnia.
“Russia will advocate for the ending and cessation of the work of international institutions, especially the fake high representative, or, as he says, the illegitimate representative,” Dodik added.
On Monday, he issued a video from Moscow in which he praised Putin.
He travelled to Russia despite the international arrest warrant against him issued by the deeply divided country’s central prosecutors.
In an interview with Radio Television of Republika Srpska (RTRS) after the meeting with Putin, Dodik refuted rumours about his alleged intention to stay in Russia.
“Milorad Dodik will not go anywhere. They are trying to stop my international activities. I will go back nicely, as I left. Do you think they can stop my return?” Dodik said.
“On Saturday I will be in Banja Luka in a meeting we are organising to introduce our leadership with everything and analyse it further,” he added.
Since the end of the 1990s conflict, Bosnia has been split into semi-autonomous halves — Republika Srpska and a Muslim-Croat federation.
Dodik, 66, has several times threatened to take the Serb entity out of Bosnia.
Despite the warrant, Dodik had earlier visited Serbia and Israel.
Russia has close historical ties with Serbia.
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