Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, said today that he was "deeply disappointed and saddened by the behaviour of Vladimir Putin", with whom he was close but who took "very serious responsibility towards the whole world" with his attack on Ukraine.
"I cannot and will not hide that I am deeply disappointed by the behaviour of Vladimir Putin, who assumed a very serious responsibility towards the whole world," he told a public meeting in Rome of his right-wing Forza Italia party, part of the broad coalition supporting the government led by Mario Draghi.
"I met him almost 20 years ago and he always struck me as a democrat and a man of peace," continued the 85-year-old billionaire, who served three terms as head of government between 1994 and 2011. Berlusconi had so far avoided publicly criticising Putin.
When in power, Berlusconi had maintained ties of personal friendship with the Russian president, going so far as to invite him to holiday at his luxury Sardinian villa.
"Faced with the horror of the massacres of civilians in Bucca and other areas, real war crimes, Russia cannot deny its responsibilities," Berlusconi denounced.
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
