GERMANS ON THE GENERAL STAFF: “Vučić Threatens Revenge, but He Could End Up Failing Like the Trump Tower Project”

A lot of money wasted in vain — American tycoon Jared Kushner, son-in-law of Donald Trump, is withdrawing from the major hotel construction project planned for the site of the General Staff building in Belgrade, and although Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is loudly threatening revenge, it could ultimately happen that he sinks together with the Trump Tower project, the daily Junge Welt writes today.

The German left-wing newspaper reports that the project was supposed to cost several hundred million euros, but that it was obstructed by an investigation launched by Serbia’s Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office over forged documentation, which also resulted in an indictment against Culture Minister Nikola Selaković.

Just a few hours after the indictment was filed, Kushner’s company Affinity Partners — which had already secured a two-billion-dollar loan from Saudi Arabia for the Belgrade project — withdrew from the deal, Junge Welt writes.

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“And it’s not only because most ‘non-owners’ would never be able to set foot in Trump Tower — many Serbs rejected Kushner’s idea. Various campaigns and initiatives emerged advocating the preservation of the General Staff complex. From the moment the contract was signed in May 2024, there were constant protests. And on November 11, several thousand people gathered to form a ‘human wall’ in protest against the planned demolition and the state’s wheeling and dealing with the Trump clan,” the daily writes.

The paper also notes that the investor, Kushner, received extraordinary privileges and effectively leased the site for 99 years, while the “extremely expensive demolition” would have had to be paid for by the Serbian state, with Kushner himself bearing hardly any costs beyond operating the hotel.

Nevertheless, for Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, the newspaper writes, it is clear that the culprits are political opponents and the judiciary. Junge Welt reports that Vučić initially cited damages of 750 million euros, only to later — “without any evidence” — double that figure to 1.5 billion euros.

“And now, if Vučić loudly demands revenge, it could ultimately happen that he, too, sinks along with the Trump Tower,” Junge Welt concludes.