Kushner abandons Trump hotel project in Belgrade amid fierce opposition

Businessman and former senior U.S. presidential adviser Jared Kushner has shelved plans for a Trump-branded development in central Belgrade amid widespread protests and the indictment of a senior Serbian official.

The project, which involves redeveloping a site partially destroyed by NATO bombings in 1999, has sparked protests, legal challenges, and public outcry, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Kushner, who runs the $4.8 billion private-equity firm Affinity Partners, has sought to redevelop the former General Staff complex, a symbolically significant Yugoslav army site, into a modern hotel and commercial complex. The firm has partnered with UAE-based developer Eagle Hills.

Moves by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s government to remove cultural-heritage protections from the site prompted criticism from opposition lawmakers and activists. Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets, and students have vowed to occupy the property if demolition begins.

“You call it an investment, we call it high treason,” said Marinika Tepić, a leading opposition lawmaker, speaking in Parliament.

The controversy escalated when a special prosecutor arrested a government official for allegedly forging documents to aid the deal. In response, the ruling party quickly passed legislation stripping protected status from the site and other historic buildings, prompting accusations of corruption and unconstitutional conduct.

Kushner has said he has told investors to expect no favourable treatment from the U.S. in return. “Nobody’s pointed out any instances where Steve or I have pursued any policies or done anything that have not been in the interests of America,” he told 60 Minutes in October, alongside co-negotiator Steve Witkoff.

Architects and preservationists have voiced concern over the project’s impact on the historic site. “The project they’re erasing is a very important architectural piece,” said Ana Miljački, a Serbian-born professor at MIT. She compared it to “putting a Trump hotel” on I.M. Pei’s National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Serbian opponents are appealing to the country’s constitutional court, while activists continue to monitor the site closely. Djordje Miketic, who coordinates a network of nearly 300 volunteers, said, “The fight won’t be waged through the institutions, it’s more on the streets.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev