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Russia’s Putin is a longtime friend of Berlusconi Berlusconi’s right-wing bloc is expected to win the September 25 election The Italian leader says Putin envisioned a quick war
ROME, Sept 23 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin was “pushed” to invade Ukraine and wanted to put “decent people” in charge of Kiev, former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said, sparking fierce criticism ahead of Italian elections . The Italian leader, whose Forza Italia party is part of a right-wing coalition expected to win Sunday’s general election, is a longtime friend of Putin and his comments are likely to worry Western allies. read more “Putin was pushed by the Russian people, by his party, by his ministers to devise this special operation,” Berlusconi told Italian public broadcaster RAI late Thursday, using official Russian wording for the war. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Russia’s plan was initially to capture Kyiv “in a week” and replace Ukraine’s democratically elected President Volodymyr Zelensky with “a government of decent people” and leave “in another week,” he said. “I didn’t even understand why Russian troops were deployed in Ukraine when in my mind they should have just stuck around Kyiv,” said the 85-year-old Berlusconi, who once described Putin as a younger brother. Putin’s stated war aims have varied over the course of the seven-month war. Ukraine first chased its troops from the Kiev region, and more recently from areas in the northeast near the border with Russia. Putin now says the main goal is to secure territory in Ukraine’s Donbas region, which is partially controlled by pro-Russian separatists. read more Facing widespread condemnation from opponents for his words, Berlusconi issued a statement on Friday saying his views had been “oversimplified”. “The aggression against Ukraine is unjustified and unacceptable, (Forza Italia’s) position is clear. We will always be with the EU and NATO,” he said.
“Absolutely outrageous”
Under outgoing Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Italy was a staunch supporter of Western sanctions on Russia after the invasion. Giorgia Meloni of the far-right Brothers of Italy, tipped to be the next prime minister, has pledged to stay in the post, but Berlusconi and her other ally Matteo Salvini of the League were more ambivalent. “These are scandalous and very serious words,” center-left Democratic Party leader Enrico Letta said of Berlusconi’s remarks. “If on Sunday night the result is favorable to the right, the happiest person would be Putin,” Leta told RAI radio. Centrist leader Carlo Calenda, another candidate for the election, told Radio24: “Yesterday Berlusconi spoke like General Putin. It’s completely outrageous.” Berlusconi said on Thursday that Moscow’s decision to invade came in response to an appeal by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. He said their leaders had gone to the Kremlin and told Putin directly, “please defend us, because if you don’t defend us, we don’t know where we’re going to end up.” Voting began Friday in four Ukrainian regions mostly controlled by Russian forces, including separatists, the start of a plan by Putin to annex a large chunk of Ukraine. read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Report by Alvise Armellini. Edited by Frank Jack Daniel and Crispian Balmer Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
