Silvio Berlusconi says he exchanged sweet letters with Vladimir Putin

Rome: Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Tuesday that he had reconnected with Russian President Vladimir Putin and recently exchanged “sweet letters”, according to audio released by the Italian news agency.

The 86-year-old Berlusconi, who often boasted of his friendship with Putin until Russia invaded Ukraine, said last month that Mr Putin was embroiled in the war and wanted to leave Kyiv to “decent people”. It sometimes caused storms.

“I keep in touch with Putin quite often, in the sense that he sent me a very sweet letter with 20 bottles of vodka on my birthday,” Berlusconi told MPs, according to audio published by News. rice field.agency Lapress.

“I replied to him with a few bottles of Lambrusco[wine]and an equally sweet letter,” said Berlusconi, whose birthday was September 29.

He added that he was very worried about the situation in Ukraine, but was unable to give his true opinion because “it would be a catastrophe if it were reported.”

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The comments come as Berlusconi negotiates ministerial posts in the new government following Italy’s Sept. 25 elections, which delivered a victory to the right-wing coalition led by Giorgia Meloni, who is due to be named prime minister next week. rice field.

A party spokesperson denied that Berlusconi had been in contact with Putin again, saying he had told parliamentarians “an old story that referred to an episode many years ago.”

Forza Italia later released a statement saying that Berlusconi’s and the party’s positions on the war were “in line with those of Europe and the United States” and that there was “no room for ambiguity and never before”.