The Italian ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi caused a stir with a Putin-sayer shortly before the parliamentary elections. Russian President Vladimir Putin was pushed into the war. Blame the pro-Russian separatists in Donbass, the Russian media and even the people, Berlusconi said Thursday night.
The 85-year-old leader of the center-right Forza Italia party is considered an old friend of Putin. In the political show “Porta a Porta” on the public broadcaster Rai1, he now said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been pressured to go to war in Ukraine. The people as well as the party and his ministers had urged Putin to ‘invent this operation’.
“So the troops have to march in, replace Zelenskyi’s government with decent people and come back a week later. Instead, they met unexpected opposition, which was then fomented with weapons of all kinds from the West,” Berlusconi said. He feels bad when he hears about the dead. According to him, the separatists told Russian media that the war had claimed 16,000 lives and that Putin had done nothing to defend them.
Discussion on the influence of the Kremlin in Italy
Berlusconi’s words sparked strong criticism in the neighboring country. “Berlusconi’s words about Putin are outrageous, I wonder and ask Meloni (Berlusconi’s favorite and ally Giorgia) if she shares them and if Italians can share them. We are beyond the imaginable, these are words that please Putin. If right the parliamentary elections If he wins on Sunday, he would be the first to rejoice, Putin,” said Social Democratic (PD) leader Enrico Letta.
Just last week, a report by the US secret services in Italy sparked discussions. Russia is said to have spent huge sums of money in recent years to influence foreign elections. In 2014, more than 300 million dollars (equivalent to 307.78 euros) would be hidden in parties and candidates. For which countries the Kremlin paid was not stated. In any case, the right-wing populist Lega of ex-Interior Minister Matteo Salvini and Berlusconi’s Forza Italia are considered close friends of Moscow.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
