Vucic: €3 Billion Spent on Toppling Me in Last Ten Years

In a television interview Serbia's president makes shocking claims regarding the attacks against him. According to Aleksandar Vucic enormous sums have been spent over the past decade to remove him from power. He also alleges that USAID has spent vast amounts on destabilization efforts in the Balkan country.

Fotó: AFP Forrás: AFP or licensors/A demonstrator holds a scarf reading Serbia as a bridge over the Sava river is blocked as part of protests linked to a railway station disaster that sparked a nationwide anti-corruption movement last November, in Belgrade on February 9, 2

"I am amazed at how much money has been spent on toppling me. It amounts to approximately three billion euros over the past ten years." This statement was made by Aleksandar Vucic, the president of Serbia, in a program on Pink Television.

Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic (Photo: AFP)

The foreign funds have three objectives

The president is convinced that there are three main objectives of this significant investment:

1. Undermining Serbia’s independent policies
2. Weakening the country's position in the region
3. Strengthening foreign influence
   Vucic harshly criticized the opposition and the media, also addressing the recent protests, which he referred to as a “color revolution”:

They tried to execute a color revolution because they know they have no chance in elections or referendums. They cannot win in any way, which is why they needed a color revolution to infiltrate all institutions.

In a surprising statement, Vucic announced that he will write a textbook on how to combat color revolutions and added,

I believe this will be one of the best-selling books in the world.

He emphasized that he was astonished by the amount of foreign investment aimed at his downfall. As an example, he cited the Trag Foundation, which reportedly received €28 million in funding.

The Trag Foundation, formerly the Balkan Community Initiatives Fund (BCIF), has been operating in Serbia and the surrounding region for over two decades, presenting itself as a civil society support organization, according to the Serbian news outlet B92. However, B92 claims that foreign donors, particularly USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), have been using the foundation as a tool for political destabilization and pressuring in Serbia.

USAID was one of the largest donors to the Trag Foundation, and their cooperation dates back to 2013.

Key Grants Awarded to the Foundation Include:

$235,000 for a “Healthcare Reform” project (2013–2015)

$300,000 for the “Philanthropy for Local Communities” project (2015)
$4.95 million for strengthening Serbian civil activism and increasing public participation in reform processes (2023–2028)

In total, the Trag Foundation has received at least $5.485 million from USAID, and used these funds at attempts to destabilize Serbian political life. According to the data available, the support was allegedly used for organizing protests, inciting social unrest, and pressuring state institutions—following the model of color revolutions seen in Ukraine, Georgia, and other countries,

the portal reports.

Cover photo: Protests in Serbia (Photo: AFP)