U.S. Investment in Serbia Set to Surpass China, Vucic Says
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told Breitbart News that a final Serbia-Kosovo agreement under President Trump would be a "big, big, big deal" and major diplomatic achievement.
In an extensive interview conducted at his office in Belgrade, Vucic expressed optimism about the potential for Trump to complete the Washington Agreement, a framework originally signed during Trump’s first term in office, according to Breitbart News.
The Serbian leader emphasized that reaching a compromise solution on Kosovo would constitute a significant foreign policy victory once Trump concludes his current focus on negotiations with Iran and preventing the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The Washington Agreement was signed in September 2020 at the White House by Vucic and then-Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, brokered by Richard Grenell on behalf of the Trump administration. However, the deal’s momentum was disrupted when then-Kosovo President Hashim Thaci was indicted and arrested by a Hague prosecutor named Jack Smith, who later became the Special Counsel pursuing legal action against Trump under the Biden administration.
Vucic revealed to Breitbart News that Serbia’s European Union accession process has remained completely frozen for the past five years, primarily due to the Kosovo dispute and Serbia’s refusal to impose sanctions on Russia.
The Serbian president stressed that his country has been requesting that European officials honor commitments made in the Brussels Agreement signed on April 19, 2013. Under that accord, Kosovo was obligated to establish an association of Serb municipalities, yet has failed to take any meaningful steps toward fulfilling this requirement over the past 13 years.
We fulfilled our obligations, dismantling our police in the north, Vucic stated, while Kosovo authorities have not formed the promised Serb community structure.
Serbia has maintained diplomatic channels with both Russia and China, with Vucic traveling to Beijing to meet President Xi Jinping shortly after the Breitbart News interview. The Chinese leader had recently hosted both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Vucic rejected characterizations that Serbia is aligned with Russia, arguing instead that maintaining open communication channels facilitates effective diplomacy. He pointed to European criticism of Trump’s initial outreach to Moscow, contrasting it with Brussels now seeking to conduct its own negotiations with Russian leadership.
The Serbian president noted the irony that European officials now embrace the very diplomatic approach they once condemned when advocated by Trump and Serbia.
Trump himself shared the Breitbart News interview on his Truth Social platform after Vucic invited the American president to visit Belgrade, promising a welcoming crowd of at least 100,000 people. The Serbian leader previously told the outlet that Trump enjoys broad support in Serbia due to his pragmatic and rational approach to international affairs.
Kosovo has also cultivated close relations with the Trump administration and participated in Trump’s Board of Peace summit earlier this year, positioning both nations for potential renewed diplomatic engagement under American leadership.
With information from Breitbart News
