Lawmakers are raising serious concerns about the White House leveraging foreign policy in the Balkans after a newly formed American company secured a massive energy contract in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The controversy follows the Trump administration’s decision to lift long-standing sanctions on Bosnian Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik, paving the way for a $1.7 billion pipeline project. Dodik publicly praised Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin after his party’s recent electoral success, crediting them for his political survival. The Southern Interconnection Gas Pipeline aims to connect Bosnia to Croatia’s gas network, reducing regional reliance on Russian energy imports. However, a congressional report by House Democrats alleges a direct quid pro quo between the removal of sanctions and Dodik dropping his opposition to the pipeline. AAFS Infrastructure and Energy LLC, a firm incorporated in Wyoming last year, is set to develop the project. The company is headed by Jesse Binnall, a former personal attorney to Trump, and Joseph Flynn, the brother of Trump ally General Michael Flynn. Foreign agent registration filings show that Michael Flynn worked as a paid lobbyist for Republika Srpska in October 2025, the same month sanctions against Dodik were lifted. Flynn was reportedly paid through a lobbying firm run by former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. While the White House declined to comment directly on the pipeline, an administration official maintained that lifting the sanctions was necessary to prevent regional instability and secure peace. The State Department argued the move successfully pressured Bosnian Serb separatists to roll back destabilizing legislation. Balkan experts remain skeptical, noting that the contested local laws had already been invalidated by the constitutional court, leaving the true motivations behind the sanctions relief and the lucrative contract open to intense scrutiny from federal lawmakers.
Source: cbsnews.com
