Its former prime minister Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi said he recently reconnected with longtime friend Russian President Vladimir Putin, exchanging gifts of wine, vodka and “sweet” letters. The 20 bottles of vodka which were sent to the Italian Silvio Berlusconi as a birthday present from the Russian president Vladimir Putin are in violation of European sanctions imposed on Moscow after the invasion of Ukraineas announced today by European Commission.
The former prime minister Silvio Berlusconiwhose Forza Italia party is set to join Italy’s new coalition government, caused controversy this week when he said he was and back in touch with Putin and that it recently changed “sweet letters”with him.
“For my birthday, he sent me 20 bottles of vodka and a lot sweet letter“, said Berlusconi, who last month became 86 years oldto members of the lower house of the Italian Parliament, according to the audio excerpt released by the news agency LaPresse.
The EU sanctions package agreed in April extended it import ban for Russian products in order to include alcoholic beverages, including vodka, a representative of Commission in a statement, adding that there is no exemption for gifts. However, it is up to individual member states to implement the sanctions, according to the same img, and it was not immediately clear whether any action would be taken in this case by Italian authorities.
Responding to the comments allegedly made by Berlusconi regarding Putin and war in UkraineGiorgia Meloni, expected to be Italy’s next prime minister, said yesterday that her new government will be pro-NATO and fully part of Europe.
Source: News Beast
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