Links Between Trump’s Inner Circle and Dodik: STP Calls for EU Sanctions and Clarification of Economic Ties

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) calls on the European Union and its member states to take decisive action in light of growing political and economic ties between U.S. President Donald Trump’s inner circle and the Republika Srpska, which is part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Particularly concerning are the election-related advice provided to the political leadership of the Republika Srpska by close political advisors to Trump, economic interests surrounding a multibillion-dollar gas project, and the lifting of U.S. sanctions against the former president of the Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik.

“The European Union must draw conclusions from these ties and shape its policy toward Bosnia and Herzegovina independently of Washington,” explains Belma Zulčić, director of the Society for Threatened Peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina. “The EU must not ignore the fact that close political advisers to Trump work for the government of the Republika Srpska and that Dodik credits Trump with his party’s electoral success. It must make it unmistakably clear that the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina must not be subject to political deals or economic interests.”

The STP calls on the EU to use its own political and economic instruments to protect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina. “Targeted EU sanctions and a thorough review of European financial and investment ties are needed now,” Zulčić emphasizes.

We must not forget why Dodik and leading figures in his inner circle were subjected to international sanctions and restrictions in the first place. The U.S. sanctioned Dodik, among other things, for obstructing the Dayton Agreement, engaging in destabilizing activities, and facing allegations of corruption, and later imposed sanctions on numerous individuals and companies within his political and economic network as well. However, these U.S. sanctions were lifted in October 2025. The United Kingdom, Germany, and Austria also imposed sanctions. To date, however, there are no EU sanctions against Dodik or his inner circle.

Should a joint decision on EU sanctions against Dodik and his inner circle be blocked, Germany and other member states must coordinate and expand their national measures. European funding must also not be used to strengthen structures that undermine state institutions or call into question the country’s territorial integrity. At the same time, STP calls for full transparency regarding beneficial owners, lobbying contracts, and potential conflicts of interest in major energy, infrastructure, and investment projects.

Background

U.S. media report that Chris LaCivita, co-campaign manager for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, and James Blair, the campaign’s then-political director, traveled to the Republika Srpska immediately before the elections and are said to have each received several hundred thousand U.S. dollars for their consulting services on election matters. Their assignment was handled through a Washington law firm that had been hired by the government of the Republika Srpska.

In addition, there are personal contacts at the highest levels: Željka Cvijanović, a Serbian member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a close political ally of Milorad Dodik, and a leading representative of his SNSD party, met with Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, at the White House in September. Wiles’ daughter, Katie Wiles, had already visited the Republika Srpska in August.

Other lobbying and business ties are also coming under scrutiny. These include the planned Southern Gas Interconnection, a pipeline project estimated to cost around 1.7 billion U.S. dollars. The U.S. company AAFS Infrastructure & Energy, led by Joseph Flynn—the brother of former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn—and Trump’s former attorney Jesse Binnall, is set to play a central role in the project. Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives accuse the Trump administration of exerting political influence on behalf of the company. In 2025, Michael Flynn also worked as a paid lobbyist for the Republika Srpska.

You can reach Belma Zulčić, director of the STP section in Bosnia and Herzegovina, at 23]E6?]9:3o2D0G378 or (+387) 61 220 883 or (+387) 33 213 707.