Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Tuesday blamed critics for derailing a hotel development plan linked to Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Proposals to transform the bombed-out former Yugoslav army headquarters, a treasured monument to the 1999 NATO bombing that left it damaged, had met with fierce opposition.

What did Vucic say about the hotel project?

The nationalist populist Serbian president railed against critics of the project for destroying an investment of "at least €750 million" ($880 million).

"As a state and as a nation, we are major losers," Vucic told media in Belgrade.

"We will now be left with a destroyed building, and it is only a matter of time before bricks and other parts start falling off it, because no one will ever touch it again."

Serbia's organized crime prosecutor this week published an indictment against Culture Minister Nikola Selakovic and three other officials for allegedly committing illegal acts by removing the General Staff building's status as a "cultural asset,” which was required for construction to proceed.

The complex had been granted protected cultural heritage status in 2005.

What was the plan for the Belgrade site?

The investment firm Affinity Partners, linked to Kushner, told the Wall Street Journal that he was backing away from the controversial hotel and real estate project after weeks of protests and following the indictment.

"Meaningful projects should unite rather than divide, and out of respect for the people of Serbia and the city of Belgrade, we are withdrawing our application and stepping aside at this time," a spokesman for the firm told the newspaper.

The project envisaged three high-rise towers, including a luxury Trump Tower Belgrade hotel, apartments, and a museum.

Opposition parties, civic groups, and Serbia’s architects’ association had opposed the project, arguing it was illegal and that the site should be preserved both for its architectural value and as a memorial to the NATO bombing.

Independent media also reported that the planned contracts would have effectively transferred valuable land in the city center to the Trump family at little or no cost.

Edited by: Wesley Dockery