Russian President Vladimir Putin received Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik today, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Putin met with Dodik in his executive office in the Senate Palace and the presidents shook hands.
"I'm glad to see you in Moscow," Putin said at the beginning of the conversation.
Dodik arrived in the Russian capital the day before, despite an international arrest warrant issued for him by Interpol.
Dodik posted a video outside the Kremlin and wrote that every visit to the Russian capital begins with honoring the memory of Soviet soldiers who defended Europe from Nazism at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
He added that he plans to visit Moscow on May 9 to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Victory.
On February 26, a Bosnian court sentenced Dodik to one year in prison and six years of ban on holding government positions for ignoring the decisions of High Representative Christian Schmidt. Republika Srpska has not recognized the official's powers since he was appointed in 2021 in violation of the procedures set out in the Dayton Agreement.
Schmidt initiated legislative acts that violate the rights of Bosnian Serbs, and the entity (a federal subject) did not agree with them. Dodik warned of his readiness to declare the entity's independence if Schmidt tries to lobby for laws that further violate the rights of Bosnian Serbs. On March 27, the Interpol office in Sarajevo launched an international warrant for his search.
The Russian Foreign Ministry warned that the trumped-up sentence threatens to have harmful consequences for both Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Balkans as a whole. The Serbian leadership said the Interpol order violates the organization's statute, while Hungary appealed against the action.