Russia Europe Relation: A love affair has not yet ended – Italian Russophilia is often attributed to the strength of the Communist party and close ties to Moscow after World War II, populists across the political spectrum are cosy with Putin.
If you have to believe in an audio clip released recently by an Italian news agency, you would be shocked to listen to Ex-PM Berlusconi. “Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he was back in touch with Russian President Vladimir Putin and had recently exchanged “sweet letters” with him,
Berlusconi was quite ecstatic to divulge that ‘Vladimir Putin’ his erstwhile good friend has sent 20 bottles of ‘Vodka’ and a ‘sweet letter’ on his birthday, on 29th September.
Berlusconi, 86, often boasted of his friendship with Putin until Russia’s invaded Ukraine, and created a storm last month when he said Putin had been pushed into the war and wanted to put “decent people” in charge of Kyiv.
“I have got back in touch a bit with Putin, quite a lot, in the sense that for my birthday he sent me 20 bottles of vodka and a very sweet letter,” Berlusconi told his lower house lawmakers according to the audio issued by news agency LaPresse.
“I responded to his gesture with some bottles of Lambrusco (wine) and an equally sweet letter,” said Berlusconi.
He added that he was extremely concerned about the prevailing situation in Ukraine but could not give his true opinion because “if it gets in the press there’ll be a disaster”
The comments come as Berlusconi negotiates cabinet posts in a new government following Italy’s September 25 election which brought victory to the rightist alliance led by Giorgia Meloni, who is expected to be named prime minister next week.
‘Putin’ forging strong relationship with right-wing parties in Europe
The relations between Russia and Italy’s rightist coalition are being closely watched. The whole of Europe has been facing illegal migration from various locations of the globe. Italy is also badly plagued with this burgeoning predicament. Matteo Salvini, leader of the anti-immigrant League, has often praised Putin and used to don a T-shirt emblazoned with the Russian leader’s face.
Besides, when Russian President Vladimir Putin won a fourth term in 2018, some right-wing leaders in Italy were quick to convey their congratulations.
“The will of the people in these Russian elections (2018) is unequivocal, “Georgia Meloni, the head of the Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) party, said on social media at the time.
And now, ‘Brothers of Italy’ party has emerged as the largest political camp and forged a right-wing coalition government to be shortly formed with ‘Matteo Salvini’s League and ‘Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia’.
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Meloni the next PM of Italy likely to tilt towards Kremlin
Meloni the rightist-led alliance head is going to assume the office of the Prime Minister of Italy shortly; one should not be surprised if Rome tilts more towards Kremlin.
On Tuesday the newly-elected lower house speaker Lorenzo Fontana, a League politician, warned in an interview on state television about the consequences of sanctions against Russia. “They could become a boomerang and we will find ourselves in great difficulty,” he told the talk show.
‘Zelenskyy’ has much less followers in Italy – Kremlin is still their first choice
Another glaring example of Italy’s intrinsic and natural allegiance towards Russia can be judged from the occasion when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Italian parliament in March, the number of empty seats was conspicuous. An estimated one in three parliamentarians didn’t attend.
The no-shows were a tell-tale sign that, even after the invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin still has friends in Italy.
Although Italian Russophilia is often attributed to the strength of the Communist party and close ties to Moscow after World War II, populists across the political spectrum are cozy with Putin. Indeed, there’s a solid bloc of rightists and leftists in the parliament in Rome that consistently pushes back against sending arms to Ukraine and against government plans to increase military spending, triggering tensions in former Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s governing coalition.
Universal Illegal-immigration problem
The whole of Europe is facing similar problems, like the energy crisis, economic slowdown, declining purchase capacity, and unemployment and to make matters worse, the burgeoning illegal immigration issue is bearing a severe brunt on the resources available to the natives. Right-wing politicians across Europe are gaining ground for their pledge to fight against this universal hazard, and gradually power is being shifted to their hands.
In the future, we may see more pegs of Putin’s ‘Vodka’ diplomacy being enacted in many more European countries. Putin will never sit quiet; he has lot of aces up his sleeve.
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