Chairman and Croat member of Bosnia's tripartite Presidency Zeljko Komsic and Bosniak member Denis Becirovic have departed for Ukraine on an official visit, the first of its kind at this level since the beginning of Russian aggression against that country, it was confirmed on Tuesday.

Two Presidency members aare expected to arrive in Kyiv on Wednesday and meet with Ukrainian officials there and participate in the meeting of the Crimean Platform, an initiative launched by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the aim of affirming the territorial integrity and integrity of the state, including the reintegration of Crimea, which is Russia occupied and annexed in 2014 in violation of international law.

“Bosnia and Herzegovina expresses its support for Ukraine in this way,” reads a post on Becirovic’s Facebook profile.

From the beginning of the Russian invasion, Bosnia and Herzegovina expressed its principled support for Ukraine, but due to the opposition of the Bosnia’s Serb-majority entity, Republika Srpska government led by Milorad Dodik, efforts to have that country join the sanctions against Russia were blocked.

At the same time, Dodik and his associates maintain close ties with Russia and have been traveling to that country since the beginning of the aggression, including meetings with the president of that country, Vladimir Putin.

On Monday, Dodik resented the departure of Komsic and Becirovic to Ukraine because there is no decision of the Presidency of BiH for that, and it was blocked by his closest associate, Serb Presidency member Zeljka Cvijanovic.

Dodik asserted that with Komsic and Becirovic’s departure to Ukraine, “BiH is collapsing”.

Dodik and Cvijanovic are under US and UK sanctions.