Leading members of Donald Trump’s campaign to overturn the 2020 presidential election are seeking a huge European pipeline contract, the latest figures from the US president’s circle to mix business and geopolitics.

Jesse Binnall, a lawyer who worked on legal actions advancing Trump’s baseless claim that the vote was stolen from him, and Joe Flynn, who also sought to undermine Joe Biden’s victory, have been in Bosnia this week to discuss the project.

Designed to curb the Balkans’ reliance on gas from Russia, the Southern Gas Interconnection pipeline would cost about $200m (£149m) to build.

Binnall told the Guardian the company he and Flynn were representing, AAFS Infrastructure and Energy, had not yet been awarded the $200m contract. Meetings with Bosnian ministers “were exploratory as we assess the potential project”, he said.

“The Southern Interconnection is an important project with the potential to strengthen Bosnia and Herzegovina’s energy security and reduce regional dependence on Russian gas, and AAFS is excited about the opportunity to explore how American private capital and expertise might contribute,” said Binnall.