Silvio Berlusconi sees President Zelenskyj as responsible for the bloodshed in Ukraine. In Italy and Kiev the outrage is great. The right-wing government in Rome is harmed by the scandal.
Italy’s ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi once again caused outrage with statements about the Russian attack war and embarrassed the government of his coalition partner Giorgia Meloni.
The 86-year-old told journalists in Milan on Sunday evening that he saw Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj as responsible for ensuring a ceasefire and thus peace in the country. In general, according to the Kremlin’s interpretation, Berlusconi blamed Selenskyj for the escalation because he had attacked areas in eastern Ukraine. And if he had his way, no more money and arms would be delivered to Kiev.
“VIP Agitator”
There was sharp criticism of the former head of government from Ukraine and also from the Italian opposition. “Berlusconi is a VIP agency within the Russian propaganda,” said Mychajlo Podoljak, consultant in the Ukrainian presidential office, the Italian newspaper “La Repubblica”. The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Kiev, Oleh Nikolenko, wrote on Facebook: “Berlusconi’s ridiculous accusations against the Ukrainian president are an attempt to kiss Putin’s hands that are smeared with blood.”
Berlusconi’s party colleagues at Forza Italia quickly tried to put their boss’s statements into perspective and underline their support for Ukraine. The damage seemed to have already been done for the right-wing coalition. Prime Minister Meloni canceled all appointments on Monday because of the flu – Berlusconi’s comments and the response to them should not be helpful in the recovery.
The ultra-right politician had already suffered a diplomatic gossip last week when she was not invited to a joint dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a visit to Europe by Selenskyj. Meloni nonetheless pledged her fullest support to Ukraine.
Berlusconi: I see Zelenskyy “very, very, very negatively”
With Berlusconi it sounded very different. When he was asked by journalists to make Meloni’s boating at the dinner in Paris, he replied: “As Prime Minister, I would never have gone to a conversation with Selenskyj, because as you know, we are experiencing the destruction of his country and a bloodbath with his soldiers And citizens. It would have been enough if he had stopped attacking the two autonomous popular republics in Donbass, then it would not have happened. ” He sees Selenskyj “very, very, very negatively”.
The Russian war of attack against Ukraine originated in the attempted attempt by Moscow of Donetsk and Luhansk from 2014. With Franco-German help, a peace plan for reintegration of the renegade areas was agreed. However, this finally failed with the Russian invasion in February last year.
“Don’t interfere while we Russians are killing Ukrainians”
Podoljak wrote to the “Repubblica” that the former head of government Berlusconi in Rome “exchanges the reputation of your country with his friendship with the dictator Putin”. The advisor said that Berlusconi’s sentences “are presenting the KREML propaganda’s core statements, namely: do not interfere while we kill Russians Ukrainians”. Mariastella Gelmini from the Italian Center Party Azione, which Forza Italia had only left months ago, spoke of “incredible statements” and was a minister under Berlusconi.
Incidentally, Berlusconi also had an idea of how peace could be achieved. US President Joe Biden should support Selenskyj and offer him a kind of Marshall plan “over six, seven, eight, eight, ninth thousand billions of dollars” under one condition: that you will arrange a break of fire tomorrow because we are from you from Tomorrow no more dollars and no weapons will be given, “said Berlusconi, who had been noticed several times in the past few months with statements about his friendship with Putin and his views of the war.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
