"Putin Sent Me 20 Bottles Of Vodka": Ex-Italy PM's Remarks Under Scanner

Italy's ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi was under fresh scrutiny Wednesday over his friendship with Vladimir Putin after being recorded describing a birthday present of vodka from the Russian leader and...

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi came under increased scrutiny on Wednesday over his friendship with Vladimir Putin after he was recorded describing a birthday gift of vodka from the Russian leader and expressing concerns about arming Ukraine.

His aides insist that his representation has been distorted, but the dispute threatens to embarrass Berlusconi's allies in the coalition,

Led by far-right leader Georgia Meloni, they prepare to form a new government after last month's elections.

Meloni is a strong supporter of Ukraine, and EU sanctions on Russia, but both Berlusconi - and her other coalition ally, League leader Matteo Salvini - have long had warm relations with Moscow.

Meloni is a pro-Russian hostage,

It was the headline in La Repubblica on Wednesday.

Other reports described her own anger over the media billionaire's recent gaffe.

Supporters of the veteran political warrior Berlusconi initially denied reports of his remarks, until Italian news agency La Presse published excerpts from the recording.

in it,

Explaining how he revived relations with President Putin, an old friend, appeared late Tuesday.

La Presse said the comments were made during a meeting of Forza Italia lawmakers this week.

“I communicated a little with President Putin ... On my birthday, he sent me 20 bottles of vodka and a very nice message,

He can be heard saying.

"I answered with bottles of Lambrusco (red wine) and a similar sweet message."

Putin is a "person of peace"

A spokesman for Berlusconi, who turned 86 last month, denied he had restored relations with Putin.

Berlusconi was telling parliamentarians "an old story about a ring going back many years",

He insisted.

Right before the tale, Berlusconi can be heard describing his concerns about sending weapons and money to support Ukraine.

He also described Putin as a "person of peace," although this was not mentioned in the published audio recording.

Berlusconi issued a press statement on Wednesday saying that his personal position and that of his Forza Italia party "do not deviate from the position of the Italian government (and) the European Union" either on "the crisis in Ukraine or on other major issues of international politics."

He also said that it would be "impossible to achieve peace if Ukraine's rights are not adequately protected".

Senior Forza Italia deputy Alessandro Cattaneo said on Wednesday that Berlusconi's comments were taken out of context. "The audio clips can be copied and pasted," he added.

Berlusconi said in April that he was "extremely disappointed" with Putin's behavior in Ukraine.

But in September he was then forced to clarify statements suggesting that the Russian president had been "pushed" on the invasion by his entourage.

'no kidding'

One of Meloni's close associates, the great Italian Brotherhood legislator Francesco Lollobrigida,

Also try to calm the storm.

"We remain with the Ukrainian people and in defense of democracy in that country, but also strongly in the western axis... Regarding other people's comments you should ask others," he told reporters.

But the opposition insisted that these statements cannot be underestimated.

"This is not a joke,

"Democratic Party leader Enrico Letta wrote on Twitter.

This was the first step "towards an increasingly ambiguous attitude towards Russia."

New excerpts from the taped conversation were released on Wednesday evening, in which Berlusconi appeared to blame the war in Ukraine on the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

He repeated his comments last September, noting that Putin "pushed" into the invasion of Ukraine.

Talks are still underway on the formation of a new Italian government, and Meloni is expected to be installed as prime minister by the end of next week.

But the process was difficult.

Berlusconi lost his temper in the Senate last week,

He later admitted that his party was "deeply disturbed" by coalition discussions about how to share cabinet posts.

BY
ProBuzzFeed