Former envoy of the previous US President Donald Trump for the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue, Richard Grenell, is back in the spotlight after Marinika Tepic , a member of Parliament, said that Trump, Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic, and former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci had previously "reached a historic agreement that entailed the abolition of the court in The Hague for crimes committed by the KLA against the Serb population."
Nearly two months ago, Grenell was also in the spotlight over his lobbying for an investment by the company of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, which plans to build a luxury hotel and apartment complex on the site of the bombed Yugoslav General Staff building in downtown Belgrade.
Commenting on allegations that Serbia is now paying the former US special envoy for his activities in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stressed last year that Grenell was one of the individuals who came up with the idea to bring American investments to Serbia.
One of these ideas was the initiative by Jared Kushner’s company, which plans to turn the location of the General Staff building in Belgrade into a luxury hotel with office space and over 1,500 apartments, as well as a memorial and museum.
As reported by U.S. media, Kushner’s company will lease the space for 99 years, free of charge, and the investment is worth $500 million. According to the proposed contract, the state of Serbia is supposed to receive 22% of the profit.
The nature of Grenell’s relationship with Serbian officials can also be seen based on the fact that the former envoy was awarded by the president of Serbia last year with the Order of the Serbian Flag, first class.
On that occasion, Vucic emphasized Grenell’s merits in developing and strengthening what is politically referred to as „peaceful coexistence,“ as well as friendly relations between Serbia and the US, adding that the former envoy „demonstrated what is not often seen in the international community.“
Vucic praised Grenell for his „tireless work and role in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina,“ which „contributed to regional peace and enriched the relations between Serbia and the US.“
Grenell noted that he received a similar award three years earlier in Kosovo, saying that he thinks he is the only person who has received the highest award from both Kosovo and Serbia.
In October 2019, Trump appointed Grenell as his „Special Presidential Envoy for Peace Negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo.“
In European diplomatic circles, Grenell was perceived as someone who favoured the Serbian side in negotiations. He pressured Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti to lift tariffs on Serbian products, and in Kosovo, he had an important ally – the then-President Hashim Thaci, who was later indicted for war crimes.
Grenell denied allegations of bias, claiming that in the end, both Vucic and Thaci were grateful to him for his role in assisting in the economic normalization agreement.
During his time as envoy for the Balkans, Grenell developed friendships with top Serbian officials, especially with Vucic and Finance Minister Sinisa Mali.
“An amazing night in Belgrade,” Grenell posted on Twitter in 2020.
“Serbs and Americans in Belgrade singing about Alabama and West Virginia is an amazing night”, Grenell posted alongside a video clip of himself sitting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic at a table on a boat on the local river. Ana Brnabic, who was Prime Minister at the time, was also present, as well as other Serbian officials.
A duet with Sinisa Mali and a liturgy in Milwaukee
Grenell demonstrated his love for nightlife in Belgrade when he posted a video of himself and Mali singing together in a packed Belgrade club on Instagram.
In interviews, Grenell emphasized that he contributed to progress in strengthening economic ties between the United States and Serbia.
“I had built up a lot of love for bringing the Serbian-American relations forward,” he said in a recent interview.
Seeking to win the favour of Serbs in every way, in October 2020, Grenell attended a liturgy at the St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Milwaukee, officiated by the temple’s priest Dragan Veleusic, who gave him a book dedicated to the history of the Serbian Orthodox Church in North America, while representatives of the “Serbs for Trump 2020” initiative gifted him a bottle of homemade plum brandy.
Grenell frequently visited the Western Balkans even after leaving his post in the White House. He returned to Serbia and neighbouring Albania shortly after Trump left the White House to begin promoting development projects for Kushner’s company, including a project in Belgrade.
„An American who loves this region“
It was often said that Grenell doesn’t do anything for free and there were speculations that he was paid quite well by Serbia for lobbying, which he denied, while then-Prime Minister Ana Brnabic stated that such allegations were „a terrible lie of tycoon media and some opposition parties.“
In mid-2022, Grenell stressed that he is an American who loves this region and simply wants to help and he stressed that he is not paid by the Serbian government.
He then emphasized that he came to Serbia with a group of people from the private sector to explore investment opportunities in the region, and when asked if he would meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, he responded that it would be an honour.
Koje je tvoje mišljenje o ovome?
Budi prvi ko će ostaviti komentar!