The 85-year-old claimed in a television interview on Thursday night that the Russian president was pressured to attack Ukraine.
– Putin was pressured by the Russian people, by a party, by his ministers to carry out this special operation, Berlusconi told the Rai TV channel.
Psychologists: Putin’s personality disorder
He was a friend of the Russian president and hesitated for a long time to condemn the invasion after the war broke out. Now he says: “Putin has ended up in a very difficult and dramatic situation”.
Furthermore, the leader of the Forza Italia party said that Putin wanted to replace Volodymyr Zelenskyj’s government in Kyiv “with a proper people’s government”.
The statement from the media founder, who apart from his politics has made a name for himself through a series of scandals, worries everyone in Italy who fears turning against Russia after the election.
Forza Italia forms the smaller part of the far-right coalition that is likely to win Sunday’s election. Apart from Berlusconi, Matteo Salvini is also part of the right-wing block. The far-right leader Lega Nord was a Putin fan for years and criticized Western sanctions against Moscow.
– Couldn’t get an answer from Putin
Truly tragic is the label of centre-left candidate Carlo Calenda giving Berlusconi’s performance, calling it something between Putin’s press spokesman and military advisers.
Former Prime Minister Enrico Letta of the Social Democrats tweeted on Friday: “No words to comment on this”.
(NTB)
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