(Bloomberg) — Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi said he’s exchanged letters and gifts with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to audio obtained by an Italian newswire, underscoring how the country’s new governing coalition may come under pressure from within to soften its support for Ukraine.
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“Putin sent me 20 bottles of vodka and a very sweet letter for my birthday,” Berlusconi, 86, said in an audio recording of remarks delivered at a meeting with lawmakers, which was posted online by Italian newswire LaPresse on Tuesday. It didn’t say when the recording was made, though Berlusconi’s birthday was Sept. 29.
The former premier and leader of Forza Italia said he sent back an “equally sweet letter” and bottles of Lambrusco wine. Berlusconi also said he’s “very, very, very concerned” about statements by Russian ministers that “we are at war with them because we supply weapons and financing to Ukraine.”
A spokesman for Forza Italia denied Berlusconi had renewed contact with Putin, saying he was “telling lawmakers an old story about an episode from several years ago.”
Italy’s newly elected right-wing coalition, led by Giorgia Meloni, is forming a government and negotiating cabinet posts with Berlusconi and other allies. She says she supports sending aid and weapons to Ukraine and has expressed solidarity with Ukraine to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Berlusconi’s party also released a statement saying Berlusconi’s position with respect to Ukraine is “known by all, and is in line” with that of Europe and the US. That stance “has been reiterated in many, many public occasions. There is no and there never has been any space for ambiguity.”
Still, there were other signs that Meloni may face internal pressure to soften her stance on Russia. In remarks broadcast on national television Tuesday, Chamber of Deputies Speaker Lorenzo Fontana said sanctions against Russia could “boomerang.” Fontana, who is a member of the League party, is known for his pro-Russia views.
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