Why Jared Kushner And Ivanka Trump’s Albanian Resort Plans Are Under Fire

BreakingBusinessWhy Jared Kushner And Ivanka Trump’s Albanian Resort Plans Are Under FireByAlison Durkee,Forbes Staff. Alison is a senior news reporter covering US politics and legal news.Follow AuthorJun 03, 2026, 05:04pm EDTToplineThousands of Albanians have gathered in recent days to protest Jared Kushner’s planned luxury resort development, the latest controversy to befall his efforts on the Adriatic Coast, as Kushner broadly faces growing scrutiny for using his private equity fund Affinity Partners to work with foreign governments during his father-in-law’s second presidential term.Protestors take part in a demonstration in front of the prime minister's office in Tirana, Albania, on June 3.AFP via Getty ImagesKey FactsKushner and Affinity are in the early stages of developing two plots of land in Albania, a $1.4 billion deal on the uninhabited island of Sazan and a $4.7 billion deal on part of a protected coastal landscape in Zvërnec.Kushner intends to build luxury resorts on the properties—with the help of wife Ivanka Trump—telling The Guardian the Sazan resort would be a “very high-end luxury product” that he wanted as “the ideal resort that I’d want to be at with my family and with my friends.”The Albanian government gave preliminary approval to the Sazan island plan in December 2024—shortly after President Donald Trump’s reelection—granting the project “strategic investor status” that allows it to get quicker government approvals.That timing has raised concerns about whether the Albanian government is using the project to curry favor with the Trump administration—which officials deny—and comes as Kushner has controversially sought funding for Affinity from foreign governments during Trump’s second term and worked on developing other properties worldwide, including in Gaza.Kushner’s development has raised widespread environmental concerns—given the planned developments sit within an environmentally protected area home to numerous wildlife species—with 4...