The confidences of the leader of Forza Italia have caused unease in the coalition formed with the League of Matteo Salvini and Fratelli d’Italia of Georgia Meloni, future President of the Council.
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Silvio Berlusconi’s statements did not go unnoticed on Wednesday October 19. The leader of the Forza Italia party claimed to have “knotted” the link with Vladimir Putin. “For my birthday, (Vladimir) Putin sent me 20 bottles of vodka and a very nice letter (…) He told me that I was the first of his five real friends”assured the former Prime Minister, who celebrated his 86th birthday on September 29.
These remarks leaked on Tuesday evening and those around him initially denied it, but an audio recording was then broadcast, causing the amazement of Giorgia Meloni, future president of the Italian Council who is working to form a government with her allies, Forza Italia de Silvio Berlusconi and Matteo Salvini’s League.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, the former President of the Council made it clear that he could not express his personal opinion “because if this reaches the ears of the press it will be a disaster, but I am very, very, very concerned”. Hastily, Forza Italia issued a statement to clarify the position of the party and Berlusconi vis-à-vis Russia and Ukraine, “in line with that of Europe and the United States”.
“Freewheeling Berlusconi”, “Berlusconi without brakes“, and even, for the Repubblica, “Meloni hostage of pro-Russians” : the Italian press immediately echoed his confidences. “It’s not folklore, it’s not jokes. The new majority is initiating a change in Italy’s trajectory towards an increasingly ambiguous position towards Russia”for his part denounced Enrico Letta, boss of the Democratic Party, on Twitter.