Viktor Orbán and his wife visited Milorad Dodik, the former president of the Republika Srpska, in late October 2026. The meeting took place following Orbán’s trip to Paris a week earlier, where he was photographed by the Louvre on the terrace of the Normandy Hotel using a smartphone after years of avoiding one. During the Paris visit, the former Hungarian prime minister noted he was vacationing with his grandchild and declined to answer further questions.
Milorad Dodik Hosts Viktor Orbán and Wife
Milorad Dodik announced the visit on his X account, stating that he and his family considered it a great honor to host Orbán and his wife. Dodik expressed gratitude on behalf of his people for everything Orbán did for the Republika Srpska as the prime minister of Hungary. Photographs shared alongside the announcement showed Orbán holding a glass of rakija alongside his wife, Anikó Lévai. Dodik leads the nationalist SNSD party. The true friendship lasts a lifetime, and my friend Viktor and his family are exactly such friends,
Dodik wrote.
Did You Know? Milorad Dodik was sentenced in February 2025 to one year in prison and barred from holding public office for six years because prosecutors stated he failed to implement, obstructed, or disregarded decisions made by the international community’s high representative. While he was convicted in February 2025, earlier legal proceedings against him began in 2023.
US and Croatia monitor TEK plan to rescue Dodik
The meeting drew broader scrutiny after journalist Szabolcs Panyi highlighted Dodik’s post and recalled prior reporting from 2025 regarding a covert extraction plan. According to those reports, Viktor Orbán allegedly ordered units of the Counter-Terrorism Center (TEK) to rescue Dodik in the event of his conviction. Intelligence indicated that the United States was aware of the operation from the outset and notified Croatia, through which TEK intended to move Dodik. Croatian authorities reportedly prepared to arrest both the Bosnian Serb leader and the Hungarian counter-terrorism operatives.
Political Context of the Republika Srpska
Bosnia and Herzegovina is divided into two entities under the Dayton Peace Agreement: the Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dodik has spent over two decades asserting that the country is dysfunctional and advocating for the independence of the Republika Srpska. Amid his legal and political challenges, Dodik has remained a close ally of Orbán, who previously pledged 45 billion forints in investments to the region in 2023 following an invitation to Budapest.
Why Milorad Dodik was sentenced and Orbán visited Paris?
What did Viktor Orbán do in Paris prior to the meeting?
One week before visiting Dodik, Orbán was photographed at the Normandy Hotel terrace near the Louvre in Paris while checking a smartphone, which he had avoided for years. He stated that he was vacationing in Paris with his grandchild and declined to answer questions.
What was the alleged TEK operation involving Milorad Dodik?
According to reporting recalled by Szabolcs Panyi from 2025, Hungary’s Counter-Terrorism Center was allegedly ordered by Orbán to extract Dodik if he was convicted. The United States reportedly knew of the plan and alerted Croatia, where officials prepared to arrest the participants.
Related reading