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The Treasury Department has removed two politicians from the Balkans from its 'blacklist'...
The United States of America appears to be changing policies in terms of sanctions against politicians sanctioned in the Balkans, both by the Treasury and State Departments.
Recently, the Treasury Department removed two politicians from the Balkans from its 'blacklist'.
According to the official decision, former President of Republika Srpska Milan Milutinović and Bogdan Subotic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who have been on the blacklist for more than two decades, have been removed from the US sanctions list. Milutinović passed away two years ago.
The Treasury Department applied sanctions to Albania a few years ago, and it seems that the change in policies could be good news for those sanctioned.
A few weeks ago, sanctions were also lifted on Antal Rogan, a close associate of Orban, who has served as chief of staff since 2015.
Full decision:
On May 28, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) published an update to the list of sanctioned persons and entities, removing certain individuals and companies from the Sanctioned Nationals List (SDN).
Removals from the sanctions list:
1. Regarding the Balkans:
Milan Milutinovic: Former President of Republika Srpska and indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
Bogdan Subotic: Born in Bosanska Gradiška, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
2. Regarding drug trafficking:
Jesús Pérez Alvear (aka "Chucho Pérez"): Associated with Mexican cartels such as "Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación", "Los Cuinis" and the company "Gallística Diamante".
Gallística Diamante SA de CV: A Mexican company also known as “Ticket Premier”, involved in activities related to narcotics trafficking.
3. Regarding Russia:
Nikolay Ivanovich Bortsov: Member of the State Chamber of the Russian Federation, previously sanctioned under Executive Order 14024.
Is there hope for Berisha?
The sanctioned individuals who have been removed from the US blacklist were mainly placed under sanctions by Democratic administrations. The measures applied at that time by the US administration were intended to target political or non-political individuals, linked to corruption cases or those who undermined democracy.
In this context, former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, the highest-ranking politician to be included on the US blacklist, was also sanctioned along with his family.
But it seems that the US Treasury Department has different procedures than the State Department. It seems that in cases of sanctions by the Treasury Department there is an ease in decision-making since this is the 'black list' that is being cleaned by the Trump administration. Meanwhile, in cases of 'non grata' that are designated with the signature of the Secretary of State, there is still no decision or signal from the US, to give hope to the sanctioned politicians.
Former Prime Minister Sali Berisha hopes for a positive decision from the Trump administration, even though he has publicly stated that he did not lobby for the removal of the 'non grata'. But a lobbying contract worth 6 million dollars for two years has been interpreted as lobbying not only in political relations between the Democratic Party and the Republicans or American institutions, but also as an attempt to remove the 'non grata' for Berisha and his family.
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