Just a few hours after starting the negotiations to form a new government in Italy, new audios revealed by ‘La Presse’ were released in which Silvio Berlusconi, former prime minister of that country, supports Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, criticizes the actions of Zelensky and the West and claims to have a friendship with Putin. The news sparked great controversy in the Alpine country and generated condemnation from the European Union and Giorgia Meloni, the possible next Italian prime minister.
This Wednesday, the Italian newspaper ‘La Presse Italia’ revealed an audio in which it was announced that the former Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, criticized the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyfor “tripling” attacks on the Donbass region and causing the Russian invasion in February.
In the audio, the leader of the conservative Forza Italia accused Ukraine of breaking the Minsk Peace Accords, which were signed by representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic to end the 2014 conflict. .
“Then the two republics register victims among the military that reach, according to what they tell me, 5, 6 or 7,000 deaths. Zelensky arrives and triples the attacks (…) The desperate republics send a delegation to Moscow and manage to talk to Putin” Berlusconi said in the leaked speech.
Already on Tuesday, a first audio of the 86-year-old politician had been released, in which it is heard that Putin had sent him “a very kind letter” and twenty bottles of vodka for being the “first of his five real friends.”
The former prime minister also lamented in that conversation the economic and military support that the West has provided to kyiv, in addition to defending the actions carried out by his friend Putin since last February 24.
“They say: Vladimir, we don’t know what to do, defend us.” He is against any initiative, he resists, he is under strong pressure throughout Russia. So he decides to invent a special operation: the troops were to enter Ukraine, reach kyiv in a week , remove the government, Zelensky and so on, and put in another one already elected by the Ukrainian minority of good people and common sense,” he added.
In the recording Berlusconi is also heard saying that “unfortunately in the Western world there are no leaders, neither in Europe nor in the United States.”
Despite the controversy, the audios of the three-time Italian minister have not completely surprised public opinion. Previously in the television program “Porta a Porta”, Berlusconi had already shown his position against the invasion of Ukraine.
For his part, the progressive leader of the Democratic Party, Enrico Letta, said that Berlusconi’s statements are “very serious and incompatible with Italy’s position in Europe”, in addition to questioning the credibility of the possible new Italian Executive.
“Each government that is born must choose whether it is with Putin or with Ukraine and the European Union. Meloni’s government is being born with the worst of ambiguities,” he reproached.
Berlusconi, after hearing the audios, published a note reaffirming his Atlanticism and downplaying his own words: “In 28 years of political life, the Atlantic option, Europeanism and the constant reference to the West as a system of values and alliances between free countries and democratic have been the basis of my commitment as a political leader and man of government. As I explained in the United States Congress, friendship and gratitude towards that country are part of the values in which my father educated me when I was a child Nobody, I stress, nobody, can afford to question it.”
The leaks are revealed at a time when Italy is preparing to form a new government
Berlusconi is currently participating in the negotiations for the formation of a new Executive together with his coalition partners, the extreme right-wing Matteo Salvini, of La Lega, and Giorgia Meloni, leader of the Brothers of Italy, who won the elections on September 25.
Salvini has been an open admirer of Putin for years. Berlusconi has shown his friendship with the Russian leader, while Meloni, Italy’s likely next minister, said Wednesday that she will ask her ministers for “clarity” on the country’s position in Europe and NATO.
“On one thing I have been, am and will always be clear: I intend to guide an Executive with a clear and unequivocal foreign policy line. Italy is a part, fully and with its head held high, of Europe and of the Atlantic Alliance,” he said in a statement. .
“Whoever does not agree with this will not be able to form part of the government,” he added.
Meloni had previously expressed his intention to appoint Antonio Tajani, Berlusconi’s right-hand man, as Foreign Minister in the new government. However, this appointment could be at risk after learning the audios revealed by ‘La Presse’.
The Forza Italia minister has said that he will appear this Thursday at the European Parliament summit to reaffirm that his coalition respects European and NATO values, to calm the spirits of Berlusconi’s closeness to Putin.
Tomorrow I will be at the @epp Summit to confirm my and @forza_italia‘s pro-European and pro-Atlantic position, as well as our full support to Ukraine. In every institutional venue, we have always supported freedom and condemned the Russian invasion.
— Antonio Tajani (@Antonio_Tajani) October 19, 2022
Sergio Mattarella, President of the Republic of the Alpine country, will begin this Thursday, October 20, the round of consultations with the political parties to commission the formation of the Government after the general elections, in which the post-fascist Meloni won the victory and aspires to receive the charge of forming the Government and being the first minister in the history of the country.
During Thursday and Friday morning at the Quirinale Palace, Mattarella is expected to commission Meloni, head of the Brothers of Italy, formed jointly with Salvini and Berlusconi, although with the audios revealed this Wednesday changes of last minute.
Meloni and Berlusconi had previously reached an agreement
This same week, Giorgia Meloni and Silvio Berlusconi had sealed the peace after a crossroads of attacks that they had maintained in recent weeks due to disagreements over the formation of the new government.
Berlusconi visited Meloni at his party headquarters in Rome on Monday, October 17, where they held a meeting “in a climate of unity of intentions and maximum cordiality and collaboration,” according to sources close to both parties.
In addition, they revalidated their plan to attend the Matarella round of consultations together, along with the far-right Matteo Salvini. That day the sources reported that “both Meloni and Berlusconi are working to give Italy a strong, united and high-profile government as soon as possible that will start up immediately to face the emergencies that the country is experiencing.”
Berlusconi had disagreed with the distribution of power and ministries stipulated by Meloni, arguing that the Presidency of the two seats of Parliament, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, fell to the parties of Salvini and Meloni.
The European Union spoke out in front of Berlusconi’s audios
This same Wednesday, after hearing Berlusconi’s audios, the European Union (EU) reacted by saying that any contact with the Russian authorities must have as a priority to request the end of the invasion of Ukraine.
“We are not going to comment on the different politicians who want to renew contacts with whoever they want,” said the community spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Nabila Massrali, at the daily press conference of the European Commission.
The spokeswoman added that the Member States of the Union are free to maintain bilateral relations with whomever they wish, but recalled that they must respect the political positions of the EU.
“Contacts with Russian counterparts are not prohibited,” he explained, but stressed that “the priority of these contacts must, of course, be to convey their positions regarding the illegitimate invasion and aggression against Ukraine.”
With EFE and local media
