Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s three-time former prime minister, whose party is forecast to return to government after the general election on Sunday, has sparked a row after defending the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, over the war in Ukraine.
The 85-year-old billionaire told Italian TV that Putin, an old friend of his, was pushed to invad Ukraine by the Russian people and by ministers who wanted Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s administration replaced with “decent people”.
Berlusconi, who has condemned the war, told the chatshow Porta a Porta that separatists had gone to Moscow and told the media that Ukraine’s attacks had caused 16,000 deaths and that Putin was doing nothing to defend them. » | Angela Giuffrida in Rome | Friday, September 23, 2022
Is it true that this dude has already been embalmed? – Mark
Berlusconi draws a backlash for appearing to defend Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. »
