Italy's Berlusconi faces backlash after saying he exchanged alcohol and 'sweet letters' with Putin - NBC News

ROME — Silvio Berlusconi, the erstwhile Italian person who precocious returned to front-line politics, has reconnected with his aged person Russian President Vladimir Putin with an speech of gifts and “sweet” letters implicit his caller birthday.  

Berlusconi, a important kingmaker for a right-wing conjugation that is seeking to signifier a authorities aft having pledged to backmost Ukraine, was recorded boasting that the brace precocious got backmost successful touch. The comments prompted backlash from Brussels and from the pistillate acceptable to beryllium Italy's adjacent leader, who pledged her authorities would backmost Ukraine successful a thinly veiled rebuke of Berlusconi.

“I reconnected with President Putin — a small bit, good a lot,” Berlusconi, 86, reportedly said successful a speech with lawmakers from his center-right Forza Italia party, according to Italy’s LaPresse quality agency, which published the comments.

“For my day helium sent maine 20 bottles of vodka and a precise saccharine letter,” helium said, adding that helium responded by sending bottles of the Italian vino Lambrusco “and a missive conscionable arsenic sweet.” 

“I person been declared by him arsenic the archetypal of his 5 existent friends,” helium said. 

Putin presents a publication astir his agrarian lodge to Berlusconi successful Zavidovo, northwest of Moscow, successful 2003.Viktor Korotayev / AP

The comments made front-page quality successful Italy arsenic the country’s blimpish conjugation led by Giorgia Meloni, who powerfully backed Ukraine during the caller predetermination campaign, is deciding who should marque up its Cabinet earlier ceremonial consultations this week to signifier a caller government.  

Meloni needs the enactment of Forza Italia to support its bulk successful the Senate and the little location of parliament. Among different ministries, the enactment has expressed an involvement successful starring the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Meloni’s different state successful the coalition, Matteo Salvini of The League, has repeatedly called for Italy to extremity its sanctions against Russia. 

Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, which tin hint its roots to a fascist enactment founded by supporters of dictator Benito Mussolini, did not instantly respond publically to the comments.

But Meloni herself aboriginal issued a sharply worded statement.

She said immoderate enactment that disagreed with her overseas argumentation enactment should not articulation the government, which is acceptable to instrumentality bureau adjacent week.

“Italy with america successful authorities volition ne'er beryllium the anemic nexus successful the West,” she said.

Meloni has staunchly defended Ukraine since Russia launched its penetration successful February, and has supported Western sanctions against Moscow.

“On 1 happening I person been, am, and volition ever beryllium clear. I mean to pb a authorities with a wide and unequivocal overseas argumentation line,” she said. “Anyone who does not hold with this cornerstone cannot beryllium portion of the government.”

Enrico Letta of the absorption Democratic Party, who has warned that Meloni’s right-wing conjugation represents a menace to democracy, pounced. 

In a tweet, helium recalled that different conjugation member, the right-wing League, has questioned European Union sanctions against Russia due to the fact that of the interaction connected the Italian economy.

“Who’s harming Italy abroad? The absorption that is successful opposition?” Letta wrote. “The president of the [lower] Chamber who delegitimizes E.U. sanctions against Russia? ... Berlusconi who reconnects with the invader of Ukraine?”

It is not the archetypal clip Berlusconi has seemed to support Putin, with whom helium has a agelong and affable history. He has entertained Putin astatine his Sardinian villa, and helium adjacent visited Crimea with Putin successful 2014 aft Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine.

Late successful the campaign, helium seemed to warrant Russia’s invasion by saying Putin was forced into it by pro-Moscow separatists successful the Donbas region of eastbound Ukraine.

“The troops were expected to enter, scope Kyiv wrong a week, regenerate [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy’s authorities with decent radical and past leave,” Berlusconi told his favourite late-night speech amusement big connected Sept. 22. He backtracked later, saying his words had been “oversimplified.”

Berlusconi responded with a gag erstwhile reporters asked him astir his latest comments by reporters, which his Forza Italia enactment tried to region itself from. 

“The presumption of Forza Italia and President Silvio Berlusconi with respect to the Ukrainian struggle and Russian responsibilities is known to each and is successful enactment with the presumption of Europe and the United States, reaffirmed connected respective nationalist occasions,” the enactment said successful a statement. “There are nary margins of ambiguity, nor person determination ever been.”

European Commission spokeswoman, Nabila Massrali, was asked to respond to the comments astatine Wednesday’s briefing, and recalled that EU subordinate states are escaped to behaviour bilateral contacts with Moscow, portion respecting the EU argumentation to standard down specified relations “to the indispensable minimum.”

“The precedence of these contacts should of people convey EU positions regarding the illegitimate penetration and aggression against Ukraine and telephone connected Russian counterparts to halt it instantly and comply with planetary law,” she said.

Vodka imports from Russia are banned, but Massrali said she would inquire whether that prohibition besides applies to gifts.