Indignation and amazement among politicians in Italy, including in the ranks of the governing coalition, were caused by the words of the former Prime Minister, the leader of Forza Italia, Silvio Berlusconi, who sharply criticized the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. He stated that he would never meet him as head of government. His statement also touched Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who met Zelensky in Brussels and will soon leave for Kiev. Ukrainian authorities protest.
Zelensky is guilty because he defended the territory of Ukraine
If I were the prime minister I would never go and talk to Zelensky because we are watching the destruction of his country and the massacre of his soldiers and civilians
That’s what Senator Berlusconi told reporters last Sunday.
It was enough to stop attacking the two autonomous republics in the Donbass and this would not have happened. So I have a very negative opinion of this gentleman
– said the leader of the co-ruling party in Italy.
Berlusconi confirms his pro-Putin stance
Given the consternation caused by these words, the Prime Minister’s office in Rome said that “the Italian government’s support for Ukraine is strong and decisive”.
In response to Berlusconi’s statement, the Italian media point out that a new crack has opened in the centre-right coalition. During the discussion on RAI television, opinions were also expressed that the 86-year-old former prime minister had not said anything new, but only confirmed his pro-Putin stance, which had been somewhat muted in recent months after earlier polemics.
His party’s vice president, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, said in a statement: “Forza Italia has always been on the side of Ukraine’s independence, on the side of Europe, NATO and the West.”
Berlusconi’s party, in turn, assured that its support for Ukraine was “never questioned”. The party’s memo stated that the leader “expressed concern only to prevent further massacres and a major escalation of the war”.
President Malpezzi: statements like this ‘lead to isolation of Italy in Europe’
“The government has a problem,” Simona Malpezzi, chairwoman of the center-left opposition Democratic Party in the Senate, said in an interview with La Stampa on Monday. She described his statement as “very serious”. According to her, such statements “lead to Italy becoming more and more isolated in Europe”.
Mykhailo Podolak, adviser to the head of the Ukrainian president’s office, said, quoted by the daily La Repubblica: “Berlusconi is a VIP agitator operating within the framework of Russian propaganda, trading Italy’s reputation for friendship with Putin.”
His words hurt Italy
– added. According to him, the former prime minister should “take off the mask and say publicly that he supports the genocide of the Ukrainian people”.
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rm/PAP
Source: wPolityce