The Trump administration lifted sanctions on Serbian leader Milorad Dodik on Wednesday, reversing course after the U.S. accused the pro-Russian ultranationalist of causing instability in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Dodik was removed as president of the Republic of Srpska, a Serb-majority territory in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in August after a court convicted him of defying the international envoy responsible for overseeing the Dayton Accords, a 1995 peace agreement that ended the Bosnian War. The Biden administration imposed sanctions against him in 2022.
The separatist, who enjoys close ties to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, has long pushed for the Republic of Srpska to secede from Bosnia and Herzegovina and join neighboring Serbia.
The decision comes after several close allies of Trump’s pushed for a lifting of sanctions, including MAGA influencer Laura Loomer and first-term Trump administration officials Rudy Giuliani and Michael Flynn.
Dodik thanked Trump in a social media post “for correcting a grave injustice” for which he blamed the Obama and Biden administrations.
“The decision to lift the sanctions is not merely a legal correction, but also a moral vindication of the truth about Republika Srpska and all those who have served it with honor,” Dodik wrote.
The Treasury, State Department and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the decision to lift sanctions on Dodik as well as several of his relatives and associates.
The U.S. alleged Dodik used his government position “to accumulate personal wealth through graft, bribery, and other forms of corruption” and undermined the Dayton Accords.
Earlier this year, Dodik hired former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich — who received a pardon from Trump in February — to lobby on behalf of the Republic of Srpska.
New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, decried the decision as “reckless and premature” in a statement.
“Dodik has undermined the Dayton Peace Agreement, cozied up to Putin and profited from corruption—hardly grounds for relief,” Shaheen said. “The American people deserve answers.”



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