Speaking at a rally in Rome, former Italian PM and leader of the Forza Italia party, Italia Berlusconi expressed his disappointment with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Saturday he was deeply disappointed and saddened by the behaviour of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The media tycoon for years enjoyed a close friendship with the Russian leader, Reuters reported. Berlusconi added that Putin had to take full responsibility in the eyes of the world over the invasion of Ukraine.
“I got to know him 20 years ago and he had always seemed to me a man of democracy and peace… what a pity,” Berlusconi said, addressing a convention of his conservative Forza Italia party in Rome.
Berlusconi’s first comments on Russian war with Ukraine
The comments were the first time Berlusconi has spoken in public of Putin since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th.
In 2015, Berlusconi called Putin “undoubtedly the number one among world leaders”. He also once described the 69-year-old Russian as like a younger brother. The two visited each other both in Russia and Italy. They were also photographed in the past giggling during official visits.
Berlusconi, aged 85, was prime minister four times: 1994-95, 2001-2006 and 2008-2011. He also put himself forward as a candidate for President of Italy before withdrawing a few weeks later.
Continuing his comments on the Ukraine war, Berlusconi said, “The attack on Ukraine, instead of bringing Russia into Europe has thrown it into the arms of China… what a pity, what a pity”.
Related article: Ukraine president addresses Italian parliament
The Kremlin calls the action a “special operation” aimed at demilitarising and “denazifying” its neighbour. This rhetoric has been dismissed by Ukraine and its allies as a baseless pretext for war.
