As reported repeatedly recently, talks between the US and Russia have been going on for some time in the background. However, Kiev and Moscow still do not speak directly. This will soon change if Italy’s ex-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has his way. According to a confidant, he wants to persuade the Kremlin boss to withdraw from Ukraine – by Christmas!
Secretary of State for Culture Vittorio Sgarbi suggested to the British magazine The Spectator that Berlusconi saw himself as “the only person” capable of brokering peace between the warring factions in the current standoff. “He thinks he can do it. And if he can do it without undermining NATO’s position, he could go down in history as a hero,” the magazine intimately quoted Berlusconi. The senator’s private jet is currently done, they say.
Attempts to call at the beginning of the war failed
Berlusconi recently reported that he had made two unsuccessful attempts to call the Russian president at the start of the war. It is unclear why the contact should now be successful. But the fact is that the two became friends during Berlusconi’s tenure as Prime Minister from 2001 (with a break between 2006 and 2008 when Romano Prodi led the government) to 2011. Putin has been several times in Berlusconi’s summer residence in Sardinia. The Italian accepted a controversial invitation in 2015 and visited the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which had already been annexed by the Russians. Most recently, the 86-year-old boasted to colleagues at his Forza Italia party that Putin counts him among the five friends he has.
Fuss about a birthday present from Moscow
There should also have been gifts from Moscow for the birthday – in the form of 20 bottles of vodka. The release of footage of the private event caused a stir in Italy and the EU, which were concerned that if Berlusconi’s party joined the right-wing government led by Giorgia Meloni, the Union’s Russia policy would be torpedoed. Incidentally, Berlusconi later denied that he had received vodka from Putin. That was a joke for his MPs, the former head of government assured. Meloni also made it clear: “I intend to lead a government with a clear and unambiguous foreign policy line. Italy is a full member of the EU and NATO. Whoever disagrees cannot be part of the government. ”
The majority of Italians want an end to arms deliveries
But the population no longer seems to support the course. According to the latest polls, most Italians want Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to finally agree to peace talks with the Kremlin. At the beginning of November, the largest demonstration to date took place in Rome against the war in Ukraine and arms supplies to Ukraine. According to the organizers, some 100,000 people gathered in Rome for the occasion. Police estimated the number of protesters at only 40,000, but it was a loud protest. Berlusconi could also take into account the mood of the people in his diplomatic project.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
