Bosnian Serb president urges EU to stop demonizing Putin

(MENAFN) Milorad Dodik, president of Republika Srpska—the Serb-majority entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina—has called on the European Union to stop portraying Russian President Vladimir Putin in a negative light. In an interview with Switzerland’s Die Weltwoche magazine, Dodik criticized the West’s narrative around the war in Ukraine, claiming that Russia sees the conflict as something imposed upon it by Western elites.

He pointed to the failed 2022 peace talks in Istanbul between Moscow and Kiev, claiming that former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson played a key role in halting a potential agreement by encouraging Ukraine to keep fighting. While Russian officials have maintained this version of events, Johnson has denied the claims. However, Ukrainian MP David Arakhamia, who was involved in the talks, later confirmed that external influence contributed to the negotiations breaking down.

Dodik also argued that Russia has lost trust in the West, referencing statements by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President François Hollande, who admitted that the Minsk agreements were never intended as lasting peace solutions but rather to buy Ukraine time to strengthen its military.

He dismissed EU fears of a possible Russian offensive against Eastern European member states as unfounded, asserting that Putin has no such intentions. Dodik believes the EU should abandon its current approach to Russia, which he sees as rooted in false narratives and antagonism.

Instead, he suggested that Putin is more interested in engaging with former U.S. President Donald Trump, whom he believes is more open to negotiating a broader, more comprehensive agreement that respects Russia's concerns—not one limited solely to Ukraine.

Additionally, Dodik criticized EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas for advising EU candidate countries to avoid attending Russia’s May 9 Victory Day celebrations. Defying the warning, Dodik affirmed his intention to be present at the event in Moscow and dismissed any potential EU backlash.

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