Serbia-US relations dramatically transformed, Vucic tells Fox News Digital

NEW YORK - Serbia-US relations have undergone a dramatic transformation under US President Donald Trump, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has told Fox News Digital in an interview, noting that the shift had changed public perceptions in a country where memories of the 1999 NATO bombing campaign remained deeply rooted.

Support for the US has surged under Trump, said Vucic, inviting the US president to visit Belgrade.

Vucic praised Trump's approach to the Balkans, noting that the current US administration's focus on economic cooperation rather than political pressure resonated with many Serbs.

"President Trump and his team so far were working very diligently and dedicatedly on the Western Balkans," Vucic said, adding that many Serbs viewed the Trump administration very differently from previous US governments.

"If you ask people in Serbia just to make a comparison between Clinton and Trump's administration, or Democrats to Republicans, you would not believe it. It would be 90 to 10 or 95 to 5," he said.

Vucic reiterated that he had recently extended an invitation to Trump to visit Serbia and predicted the US president would receive an enthusiastic welcome.

"I hope that we will be able to host him. More people will be ready to greet him and wait for him than he might even expect... I dare to say even more than hundreds of thousands of people," he said.

The improving relationship between Washington and Belgrade is increasingly centered on economics, investment and technological cooperation and mutual conservative values, Vucic said.

He added that Serbia and the US were preparing to launch a strategic dialogue focusing on energy, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, defense cooperation and investment opportunities, with projects in energy infrastructure, liquefied natural gas cooperation, data centers and advanced computing technologies also under discussion.

"The growing relationship comes as Serbia seeks to position itself as a regional economic hub while continuing its long-standing ambition of joining the European Union.

Vucic pointed to preparations for Expo 2027 in Belgrade with nearly 150 participating countries, as evidence of Serbia's growing international profile and economic ambitions," Fox News Digital noted.

"Our GDP was 32 bln (euros) when I became prime minister. This year it is going to be over 100 bln euros," Vucic noted.

Asked whether he would consider recognising the so-called Kosovo if the move were to unlock Serbia's economic future and accelerate its path towards EU membership, Vucic rejected the premise and noted that economic cooperation and improved relations should come before discussions about political status.

"I am not saying that I am ready to violate my constitution... I have always been open to talks or compromising solutions, I have always been open to developing great economic ties and no doubt much better political ties. But I was not speaking about recognition of someone's independence," he said.

Commenting on the relationship between the East and the West and picking sides, Vucic rejected the notion that countries must choose between competing geopolitical camps.

Instead, he pointed to his visit to China and Trump's engagement with Beijing as examples of what he described as pragmatic diplomacy focused on national interests.

"President Trump did not go there because of his vanity. He brought with him all the leading people of the United States of America for making better businesses, for earning more money for their companies," he said of Trump's trip to China.

Vucic said he had adopted a similar approach during his own visit, arguing that leaders should prioritise economic opportunities for their citizens rather than ideological alignments.

"I am coming from a small country. I was asking for more investments and was fighting for the interests of my people," he said.

The same pragmatic approach should guide efforts to resolve ongoing conflicts in both Ukraine and the Middle East, he said.

"It is always better to have thousands of days of negotiations than one day of war," he added.

Asked about tensions involving Iran and the wider Middle East conflict, Vucic said Serbia was one of the few European countries that were not hesitating to cooperate with Israel.

"And it is proud to say this publicly and openly," he added.

Vucic warned that antisemitism was rising around the world.

He said Serbia had resisted those trends, and pledged that it would continue to do so under his leadership.

"It does not happen in Serbia, and it will not happen as long as I am the president," he said.