Europeans clearly trying to turn EU into military alliance — Dodik

Bosnian Serb Leader Accuses EU of Militarization, Defends Russia’s Ukraine Policy

MOSCOW — Milorad Dodik, the leader of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, the ruling party in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Republika Srpska entity, said in an interview with TASS that Europe’s aging political elites are seeking to transform the European Union from a political bloc into a military alliance, with the goal of establishing strategic footholds to pressure Russia.

“Europe’s aging political elites remain determined to transform the European Union from a political bloc into a military alliance and are now pursuing a clear objective: establishing strategic footholds for exerting pressure on Russia,” Dodik said, according to TASS.

He said Europeans continue to wage war against Russia through Ukraine, and that Kiev would have been defeated long ago “were it not for the European Union’s militaristic ambitions and its aging elites, who are trying to turn the EU into a military alliance instead of a political union.”

Dodik claimed the EU is seeking to expand its influence into Moldova, Armenia, and other areas, but that in reality the bloc “has almost no influence” because “the European Union has lost its unity, lacks a single leader, and has no raw materials.” He said even Germany is losing its innovative edge, and that Russia and China train more engineers and hold the advantage in educational programs.

“As Germany produces fewer cars, it is shifting toward manufacturing armored vehicles and other military equipment. That is a cause for concern,” he said, adding that EU member states are “mired in debt” and seeking a way out through militarization.

Dodik Defends Russia’s Actions, Condemns Strike on College

Dodik also said the West feels its time is running out and that it expected to break Russia with sanctions. He argued that Russia had to intervene in Ukraine because, he said, “there were about 15 million Russians in Ukraine who needed to be protected.”

“When at least one US national is under threat anywhere in the world, the United States intervenes,” Dodik said. “So, how couldn’t Russia have intervened when there were 15 million Russians under threat?”

He said Russia had to act because Ukraine was formed from “previous Russian territories, which the previous authorities had torn away piece by piece.”

Praise for Putin’s Restraint

Dodik praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for what he called wisdom in preventing large-scale attacks on Ukraine that would lead to numerous civilian casualties.

“I think President Putin has shown great wisdom in not allowing large-scale strikes that would lead to the deaths of many civilians,” Dodik said. He claimed the special operation is conducted “with great attention to the protection of the civilian population” and that there is “not a single example of cases where a large number of civilians have died from Russian weapons.”

He acknowledged that some civilians have died, but said they “were never the target.” He said Russia warns in advance about strikes on certain facilities, and that if someone does not want to leave, “it’s their decision.” He pointed to a CNN story about a woman slightly injured in Kiev as an example of Western media attention.

Condolences Over College Strike

Dodik expressed condolences over the deaths of college students in a strike on Starobelsk in the Lugansk People’s Republic. He said the attack “only confirms Kiev’s criminal intentions.”

He criticized what he called the West’s disregard for the strike, which he said killed 21 civilians. “If a much smaller number of people, God forbid, had suffered in some Polish or Ukrainian city, not even a multi-day, but months-long propaganda would have been launched, with demonstrations of the wounded, bloodied, and so on,” he said.

Context

These comments, as reported by TASS, reflect Dodik’s longstanding pro-Russian stance and his criticism of Western policy toward Russia. The Ukrainian government has repeatedly denied targeting civilians and has accused Russia of war crimes during the conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.