“We have, of course, excellent relations with [Serbian] President [Aleksandar] Vučić, with [Hungarian] President [Viktor] Orbán, which makes things … easier for us, especially as far as Europe is concerned,” Dodik told Putin.
As the meeting ended Putin awarded Dodik the Order of Alexander Nevsky, given to Russian citizens for nation-building, for “strengthening the partnership” between Russia and Republika Srpska, Dodik shared on X, the social network that used to be called Twitter.
Dodik visited Kazan, the capital of the Russian republic of Tatarstan, to attend the opening of the inaugural Games of the Future tournament, described as “combining physical and digital dimensions, uniting sports, esports and technologies.” It’s the fourth time since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine that Dodik and Putin have met.
On Tuesday Dodik met with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko.