Sanctioned Bosnian Serb leader invites Rudy Giuliani for a visit
Amid ongoing U.S. sanctions against him, Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik courts controversy by inviting Rudy Giuliani, as he intensifies his push for Republika Srpska’s independence despite growing concerns over regional stability.
In an effort to mend broken relations with the United States, Milorad Dodik, the Bosnian Serb leader under U.S. sanctions for “corrupt activities and continued threats to the stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” has reached out to disbarred U.S. lawyer and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, inviting him for a visit.
The pro-Russian president of Republika Srpska, Bosnia’s Serb-dominated semi-autonomous region, extended the invitation to discuss what he claims is the Biden administration’s weaponization of U.S. policy against the “great people of Srpska.”
For over a decade, Dodik has consistently advocated for the dissolution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a stance that, along with corruption accusations, led to the sanctions against him.
“Dodik has undermined Bosnia and Herzegovina’s institutions by calling for the seizure of state competencies and setting in motion the creation of parallel institutions in BiH’s Republika Srpska entity,” the U.S. Department of the Treasury has stated.
U.S. authorities also claim that Dodik has exploited his position to enrich himself and his family, directing government contracts in Republika Srpska to companies connected to him and his son, Igor.
In return, Dodik has turned to Moscow and repeatedly insulted U.S. officials. He called the last U.S. ambassador, Michael Murphy, “an idiot,” and “human misery and despair, a diplomatic disgrace, a gathering center of complexes,” even saying he would like to get into a “fistfight” with him.
Behind the scenes, Dodik has been lobbying in Washington—without success so far—for the sanctions against him and his family to be lifted. Now, with President Trump back in the White House, he is hoping to gain Washington’s support, get help with the sanctions issue, and push forward his efforts to split the country along ethnic lines.
Hence, the invitation to Rudy Giuliani.
“You and President Trump understand better than anyone the ruthless nature of the deep state and the lengths they go to in attacking political opponents,” Dodik wrote in his invitation to Giuliani, which the former mayor later shared on social media.
“I appreciate @MiloradDodik inviting me and providing me so much time out of his busy schedule to do an in-depth interview,” said Giuliani, who has his own podcast. He did not clarify whether he would accept the invitation.
Giuliani, once a key advisor to Trump, joined his personal legal team in 2018. His controversial actions during the 2020 presidential election—including promoting baseless claims of voter fraud—and his involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot have led to multiple legal challenges. In 2023, he lost a defamation lawsuit over false claims about election workers in Georgia and was disbarred in 2024.
Dodik’s invitation to Giuliani is seen as another propaganda attempt with limited practical implications for Bosnia, said Srećko Latal, a political analyst in Sarajevo. Dodik’s lobbying efforts, possibly funded by Republika Srpska taxpayers, are unlikely to influence U.S. policy, he added.
Latal argues that Dodik is squandering resources now that he has seen a shift in U.S. policy under the new administration, which is moving away from rule of law and democratic principles—suggesting that decisions may instead be driven by financial interests and those willing to pay for influence.
“I do not think that Dodik has nearly enough money to draw the attention of the new U.S. administration or force them to change their attitude towards Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Latal told OCCRP.
Moreover, Latal does not believe Giuliani holds enough sway to alter American policy. “Trump and his administration are now way over their heads with much bigger fish than the one called Milorad Dodik,” he said, referring to the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. “Dodik is just not a priority.”
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