< p _ngcontent-sc89="" class="news-annotation">Parliamentary elections will be held in Italy on Sunday. After another political crisis, as a result of which the parliamentary coalition was destroyed, and the government was forced to resign, an emergency situation developed in the country. Right-wing parties are rushing to power (and may come). Most of them are “Putin's old and new friends”.
Recently, the infamous Italian politician Silvio Berlusconi could not restrain himself on the air of the national public broadcaster RAI 1 and blurted out a statement that shocked even “experienced” Italy. According to Berlusconi, Putin was allegedly “pushed to invade Ukraine, and the Russians wanted to put 'decent people' in Kyiv. Unfortunately, this bastard is unlikely to influence the election results – people are focused on their internal problems. This is stated in the Today article .it , the adaptation of which we bring to your attention.
Zashkvar Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi, speaking on the talk show “Door to Door” (“Porta a porta”), on the state channel Rai 1, allowed himself reenact Russia's attack on Ukraine, which caused considerable controversy and outrage.
Journalist Bruno Vespa asked him if he “recognizes in his old friend the person who is responsible for raising the bar of the conflict, and now threatens to” resort to nuclear strike”.
To which Berlusconi replied that “Putin found himself in a difficult and dramatic situation.” He mentioned “the mission of representatives of the two pro-Russian republics of Donbass, who went to Moscow to talk with everyone there – with newspapers, television, ministers. Further, Berlusconi, in the spirit of Rospropaganda, tells how the leaders of the militants took pity on the way, allegedly “Zelensky intensified the attacks on them” , proving the death toll to 16 thousand And asked him to protect them, because if Putin had not done this, it is not known how far the situation could have gone. According to Berlusconi, “the Russian population, his party and ministers forced Putin to take such a step and come up with this “special operation”.
Thus, Berlusconi not only “abundant” Putin, but also relieved him of all responsibility . He added particularly cynically: “The troops were supposed to enter Ukraine, get to Kyiv in a week and replace the Zelensky government with “decent people”, and return in a week.”
Then Berlusconi tried to correct himself and justify himself by reaffirming his party's support for the supply of weapons to Kyiv. Concern about Berlusconi's words can also be seen in the exculpatory statement of Forza Italia (Berlusconi's party), published after the storm.
“As you know, simplification is sometimes wrong,” says Berlusconi, who explained through a spokesman: “maybe I was misunderstood, I'm just a 'chronicler' and reported on the opinions of others.” “Aggression against Ukraine,” continues Berlusconi, “is unjustified and unacceptable, the position of Forza Italia is clear and precise: we will never be able to terminate our participation in the European Union and the Atlantic Alliance in any case and for any reason.”
< strong>Pay attention!Berlusconi and the way have long had a cordial relationship. In particular, in 2015, an Italian politician visited the occupied Crimea and, together with Putin, illegally uncorked a 240-year-old bottle of wine. Since Berlusconi stepped down as Italian prime minister in 2011, he has kept in touch with Putin. But after the invasion, the way stopped answering Berlusconi's calls.
In mid-April, Berlusconi spoke for the first time about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He said he was disappointed with Putin's behavior. Then Berlusconi said that Russian aggression brought the Kremlin into the hands of China. At the same time, at the end of May, the former Italian prime minister made a scandalous statement. He said that Europe should make an effort to get Ukraine to accept Putin's demands.
How they reacted in Italy and Europe
There were not enough reactions to this. Of course, Berlusconi ran into a flurry of criticism from various politicians who saw in his statements a “loud own goal”.
- “Scandalous and very serious words,” said Enrico Letta, secretary of the Democratic Party of Italy,< /li>
- “Berlusconi spoke like Putin's general,” Calenda, Italy's ex-minister of economic development, was indignant.
The reaction reached European institutions:
- EU Chief Executive Eric Mamer, asked about this at a press briefing, replied “no comment”.
- EU Foreign Affairs Representative Peter Stano nodded smiling. The parody was reminiscent of Merkel and Sarkozy's smile when, in 2011, they were preoccupied with how to answer a question about the reliability of the Italian government.
Unfortunately, “such statements change the minds of very few votes, people are not very interested in foreign policy,” admits Renato Mannheimer, head of the electoral agency Eumetra.
“I think he misspoke about what believes, but does not want to speak out loud,” said Antonio Noto, manager of NotoSondaggi.
What will Italy do if the centre-right wins
Under the leadership of the outgoing prime minister, Mario Draghi, Italy has been a vocal supporter of Western sanctions on Russia since the invasion. Georgia Maloney (leader of the most popular Brothers of Italy party in the polls) has pledged to maintain this position. But the positions of Berlusconi and Salvini were contradictory.
According to the latest polls, a right-wing coalition may form as a result of these elections, which will include:
- the far-right “Brothers of Italy” ( 25%), led by Giorgia Meloni,
- Anti-immigrant League by Matteo Salvini (13% support),
- Forza Italia by Silvio Berlusconi (7%).
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In general, the right can get 45%. The left, led by the Democratic Party, will receive 22%, while the populist Five Star Movement (M5S) may receive 13%.
Important! On September 25, Italians will elect deputies to the two chambers of parliament. After the constitutional referendum, the chambers will be halved to 400 members in the Chamber of Deputies and 200 in the Senate. The results of the vote can have a decisive impact on Italy's foreign policy, including support for Ukraine in the context of the war against Russia.
What ordinary Italians say about elections and support for Ukraine
Italian citizens expect the center-right to win parliamentary elections. Still, they hope that the country will continue to support Ukraine further.
However, some of those interviewed expressed concern that the new government may weaken support, since some right-wing forces have ties to Putin.
< p>What Italians think about elections and support for Ukraine: watch the video
