Bosnia Has Decided To Get Rid Of Gas From Russia
- 29.04.2026, 7:59
The country will replace Russian gas with American gas.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has signed a contract to build a gas pipeline with a company of Donald Trump's entourage. The EU warns of the threat of joining the bloc because of the deal's lack of transparency.
According to Al Jazeera ).
Bosnia and Herzegovina has signed a strategic agreement to build a new gas pipeline. The project should permanently rid the country of its dependence on Russian fuel. However, the agreement has already provoked a high-profile political scandal. Brussels warns: such a move could close Bosnia's door to the European Union.
Why it is important for energy security
The contract was signed at a summit in Dubrovnik, where Bosnian Prime Minister Borjana Kristo and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic were the parties. The main goal is to get it done before next year, because that is when the EU's complete ban on energy purchases from Russia will come into effect.
Now Sarajevo is completely dependent on supplies from Moscow and that makes the country vulnerable. The new pipeline will connect Bosnia to the Croatian liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the island of Krk. This will open the way for US gas.
Borjana Kristo called the development "an important step forward" and she is confident that diversification will strengthen the country. But the price of such independence may be too high.
The cost of construction is estimated at $1.5 billion. It's not just the pipe. The plan calls for the erection of new gas-fired power plants. This will allow the country to start abandoning "dirty" coal.
Trump's "trail": who is behind the project
The main intrigue was the development company. Bosnian lawmakers have appointed US firm AAFS Infrastructure and Energy, whose management is the inner circle of Donald Trump, as the investor.
Who is leading the project:
Jesse Binnall is Trump's lawyer who tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Joseph Flynn is the brother of Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser.
Donald Trump himself has long urged Europe to abandon Russian gas in favor of U.S. LNG. Now his associates are moving from words to action. Transparency International believes that appointing an investor without a transparent tender undermines the public interest.
EU issues ultimatum: a billion dollars in question
The EU ambassador to Bosnia Luigi Soreca has already sent an official warning: the agreement on the "Southern Union" (the official name of the project) contradicts the bloc's transparency rules.
What Bosnia risks:
stopping the EU accession process;
losing more than $1 billion in aid;
sanctions for violating energy legislation.
Euro officials demand that all legislative changes in the energy sector be coordinated with Brussels. Any behind-the-scenes agreement is perceived as a threat to European principles.