Kushner’s initiative is supported by the Serbian parliament in spite of objections
A bill to expedite the construction of a posh Belgrade complex leased to an investment firm established by U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner was approved by the Serbian parliament on Friday.
The plan by U.S.-based Affinity Global Development to construct a hotel, flats, stores, and offices on the location of the former Yugoslav army headquarters has drawn criticism from Serbs who believe the location should be protected.
The signing of a 99-year lease agreement with Affinity last year was opposed by many Serbs, who view the former headquarters, which was devastated in a 1999 NATO bombing operation, as a monument to modernist architecture from the Yugoslav era and a testament to those who perished.
The ruling majority accepted the bill without revisions, despite several opposition legislators’ claims that it was illegal. They also agreed that the law may take effect before a deadline, which could indicate that construction could start shortly.
A request for comment from Kushner’s larger investing firm, Affinity Partners, was not immediately answered.
The structures’ protected cultural property designation was revoked by the Serbian government in November in spite of protests. Married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, Kushner founded Affinity Global Development upon his resignation as a White House advisor in 2021. The election takes place during a tumultuous period in Serbia, as President Aleksandar Vucic has had to deal with a year of widespread demonstrations brought on by the November 2024 collapse of a station roof that claimed 16 lives.
This winter, there are worries about fuel supply in the Balkan nation due to U.S. sanctions on Serbia’s only, Russian-owned oil refinery.
Concerned in Moscow that the shipments would reach Ukraine, Russia demanded Friday that Belgrade elucidate Vucic’s comments about the possible sale of ammunition to the European Union. Serbia has assured Russia that its munitions would not get into Ukrainian hands, according to Moscow.
