The protests towards President Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia had been rising in depth and measurement when an uncommon visitor confirmed up in its capital this month to satisfy with the embattled European chief: Donald Trump Jr., the oldest son of President Trump.
The fast go to by Mr. Trump, which included a gathering with Mr. Vucic to speak about U.S. overseas assist to Serbia, got here because the Trump household and Jared Kushner, the American president’s son-in-law, had been transferring forward with plans to construct a Trump Worldwide Lodge in Belgrade, the primary such property in Europe.
The lodge is slated to be constructed atop the positioning of the previous Yugoslavian Ministry of Protection headquarters, which was bombed by NATO 26 years in the past on land now owned by the Serbian authorities. Opposition leaders in Serbia have criticized the settlement and known as for it to be terminated, elevating the prospect that the deal might be scuttled in a change of energy.
Mr. Trump used the go to as a possibility to precise his assist for Mr. Vucic — a visit that supplied maybe essentially the most specific mixing to this point in President Trump’s second time period of U.S. overseas coverage and the Trump household’s monetary pursuits.
On Wednesday, the Serbian Parliament accepted the resignation of its prime minister, bringing down the governing celebration and forcing Mr. Vucic to kind a brand new authorities or maintain new parliamentary elections later this yr, creating extra uncertainty there.
A spokesman for Donald Trump Jr. dismissed any suggestion that his go to created a battle of curiosity. The spokesman stated the journey had been pushed by a plan to interview Mr. Vucic for Mr. Trump’s podcast, to not step into overseas relations points or the real-estate deal.
