Putin's friend believes that it was Zelensky who destroyed the Minsk agreements and attacked Donbas.
Italian ex-president Silvio Berlusconi told lawmakers that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi pushed Russian President Vladimir Putin to “endless war.” This is reported by LaStampa with reference to the released audio recording of the former president's comments.
This is probably the second part of the recording from the same meeting of Berlusconi with the legislators, at which he talked about his friendly relations with Putin, which they secured with a good portion of alcohol.
In the audio recording, 86-year-old Berlusconi can be heard saying that Putin did not want to go to war, but was pushed to do so by Ukraine's ongoing attacks on Russian-backed separatists in Donbas.
According to Berlusconi, after his election, Zelenskyi intensified attacks on the separatist republics, so Putin intervened to replace the Kyiv authorities with a government “formed by the Ukrainian minority – honest, intelligent people”.
“He entered Ukraine and faced a situation that he could not have foreseen – the resistance of the Ukrainians, who started receiving money and weapons from the West on the third day. So instead of a two-week operation, the war has turned into more than a 200-year struggle,” Berlusconi said.
He mentioned the Minsk Agreements signed in 2014, which he believed Ukraine “rejected” and “began to attack the borders of the two republics.”
“Then Zelensky comes and triples the attacks against the two republics,” the politician adds, repeating his previous thesis that Putin was pushed to invade.< /p>
In the first audio released on Tuesday, Berlusconi said that Putin had sent him vodka and a letter for his birthday.
At the same time, in comments broadcast on national television, the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Lorenzo Fontana, known for his pro-Putin views, said that sanctions against Russia could turn into a “boomerang”.
The remarks come as right-wing leader Georgia Maloney tries to negotiate cabinet posts with Berlusconi and other allies. She promised not to change Italy's pro-Ukrainian position and said she supports sending arms and aid to Ukraine.
In a statement on Wednesday, commenting on Berlusconi's words, Meloni said she would not agree to any what ambiguity of foreign policy, if he becomes the prime minister.
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On Tuesday, Berlusconi's Forza Italia party denied that he had renewed contacts with Putin and said that his position on Ukraine “coincides” with that of Europe and the United States.
