The incredible words of Silvio Berlusconi in Thursday evening's interview with Bruno Vespa's "Porta a porta" they continue to cause controversy and sparks, both in Italian politics and in Europe and in Ukraine, not to mention the serious concerns in America for Italy's international position in the near future.
SHOCK BERLUSCONI: "PUTIN WANTED TO PUT GOOD PEOPLE IN KIEV"
But what had Berlusconi said to Vespa trying to justify Putin's aggression against Ukraine? “Putin – argued the leader of Forza Italia – he has fallen into a difficult and dramatic situation, he wanted a decent government in Kiev. Putin he was pushed by the Russian population of the republics of Donbass, his party and his ministers to come up with this special operation” in Ukraine.
Kiev's reply was very harsh: “We remind you that the Russian president has been in power for more than 20 years. He killed or imprisoned his political opponents, organized a massacre in Syria and now threatens the world with atomic weapons: does the former Italian premier trust him and use his example to define who is a decent person and who is not? And again: “In February Putin wanted to conquer all of Ukraine and put a puppet regime that would announce the annexation to the New Soviet Union in December 2022”. Now – said the Ukrainian president in turn Zelensky – “it is essential that Italians choose candidates with the right moral principles” in the September 25 elections.
LETTA, CALENDA AND THE EU PROTESTS AGAINST BERLUSCONI
In Italy, the secretary of the Democratic Party, Enrico Read, described Berlusconi's statement as "scandalous" and added: "It is something Berlusconi truly believes in, he is legitimizing Putin and if they win on 25 September, the Kremlin will toast". And the leader of Action, Carlo calenda: “Berlusconi, are these your decent people? Shame on you and apologise. Other than moderate and pro-European”. Embarrassment also in Forza Italia, which tried to argue as usual that Berlusconi was not understood, but also in Giorgia Meloni's entourage.
The High Representative of the Ue for foreign policy, Josep Borrell, did not send them to say: "I don't understand how a European leader can say certain things" and serious concerns were expressed by the US State Department, above all thinking of Italy's international position after the vote of Sunday.
