"Putin was urged to go to war": Berlusconi delivers excitement shortly before the Italian elections

Created: 09/23/2022, 13:02

By: Stephanie Munk

Before the elections in Italy, Silvio Berlusconi caused a scandal: he defended Putin for his invasion of Ukraine.

Putin "slid into" the matter.

Rome - A well-known candidate is also running in the upcoming elections in Italy: the ex-prime minister and scandal-ridden media mogul Silvio Berlusconi.

The 85-year-old wants to win a seat in the Senate for his party Forza Italia.

With a statement on the Ukraine war, the four-time Italian prime minister and multi-billionaire is now causing a stir.

In a television interview on Thursday evening (September 22), he commented on Russian President Vladimir Putin and said he had been pressured into invading Ukraine: “Putin was being pressured by the Russian people, by a party, by his ministers, to himself to think of this special operation,” Berlusconi told Rai.

Berlusconi defends the Ukraine war and Putin before the Italian elections - "Rushed into a dramatic situation"

Berlusconi is considered a Putin friend and has long hesitated to condemn Russia's invasion of the neighboring country.

Now he said: "Putin has slipped into a really difficult and dramatic situation." He used this expression deliberately because Putin had been asked by representatives of the two self-proclaimed republics in Donbass in February to intervene.

They persuaded Putin to invade, claiming that Ukraine was attacking the areas more and more violently.

But that's not all: Berlusconi went on to say that Putin wanted to replace the Ukrainian government of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "with a government of decent people".

Italy election: Berlusconi shocks with statements about Putin - moves the country closer to Russia

According to current polls for the Italian elections in 2022, Berlusconi's Forza Italia, as the smaller partner in a right-wing coalition, has the best chance of winning the elections on Sunday, September 25.

The media entrepreneur's statements therefore alarm all those who fear that Italy will turn to Russia after the election.

In addition to Berlusconi, Matteo Salvini is also part of the right-wing bloc.

The head of the Lega was a Putin fan for years and criticizes the West's sanctions against Russia.

"Really tragic" was what the top candidate of the "Centre" party, Carlo Calenda, called Berlusconi's statements - he was "something between Putin's press spokesman and a military adviser".

Former Prime Minister Enrico Letta of the Social Democrats tweeted on Friday: "There are no words to comment."

Before the Italian elections: the Russian embassy in Rome provoked with a Twitter post

On Thursday, the Russian embassy in Rome provoked a post on Twitter in which it published photos of Italian politicians meeting with Putin.

Among them were Berlusconi and Salvini, but also other campaigners like Letta, Giuseppe Conte, Matteo Renzi or Luigi Di Maio and even President Sergio Mattarella and predecessor Giorgio Napolitano.

"From the recent history of Russian-Italian relations," it said.

"Some we must remember."

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Meanwhile, Putin has provoked indignation among many politicians around the world: On Friday, September 23, Russia began holding bogus referendums in occupied Ukrainian territories that are illegal under international law.

But the Russian government is also frightening many people inside Russia: With the order for partial mobilization for the Ukraine war, 300,000 Russians are to take up arms.

You can find out everything about the military developments in the Ukraine war in the news ticker.