Pressures on Bosnian Serbs to give in and allow Bosnia to head toward NATO membership will not stop but will also not work, Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik said on Friday.

Bosnian leaders agreed years ago that the country should join NATO but last year Bosnian Serbs changed their mind and now refuse to allow the country to make one more step toward membership. They say they want to do whatever Serbia does regarding NATO.

Serbia declared military neutrality.

Analysts previously claimed increased Russian influence in the Balkans made the Bosnian Serb leadership change its mind.

Although he stated his position clearly, Milorad Dodik, the Bosnian Serb leader who now chairs the tripartite State Presidency, sais his colleagues still keep talking about NATO membership, which he interprets as a product of Western conspiracy and disrespect toward the wishes of the Serb people.

“The pressure will not stop and will increase but that’s all in vain,” he said.

Dodik claimed that the British government has approved six million pounds for the fight against the “malicious influence” of Russia and that the US government is doing the same.

“The West has established intelligence centres in Sarajevo, Podgorica and Tirana. They have made a list of 300 people from Serbia and Republika Srpska who allegedly are spreading that malicious Russian influence. This way they turned those people into targets,” Dodik said.