Putin was 'pushed' into Ukraine war, says Italy's Berlusconi
The Hindu
Mr. Berlusconi, whose Forza Italia party belongs to a right-wing coalition expected to win the general election on Sunday, is not new to defending Mr. Putin's actions in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was "pushed" into the war on Ukraine to install a new government in Kyiv, former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi said late on Thursday, in comments likely to concern Western allies ahead of Italy's election.
Mr. Berlusconi, whose Forza Italia party belongs to a right-wing coalition expected to win the general election on Sunday, is not new to defending Mr. Putin's actions in Ukraine. His comments highlight cracks in the coalition over the war.
Mr. Berlusconi, a personal friend of the Russian leader, downplayed Mr. Putin's warmongering instincts after he threatened to use nuclear weapons in the wake of suffering setbacks in Ukraine.
"Putin was pushed by the Russian people, by his party, by his ministers to invent this special operation," Mr. Berlusconi said, using the official Russian wording for the war.
Under Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Italy has been a staunch supporter of Western sanctions on Russia in response to its actions in Ukraine.
Giorgia Meloni of the far-right Brothers of Italy, tipped as the next premier, has pledged to stick to that position, but Mr. Berlusconi and her other ally Matteo Salvini have been more ambivalent.
Russia's plan was originally to conquer Kyiv "in a week", replace Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskiy with "a government of decent people" and get out "in another week," he added.