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Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's former prime minister and leader of the Forza Italia party, allegedly received 20 bottles of vodka from Vladimir Putin as a birthday present at the end of September. Berlusconi told this in a secretly recorded speech to party colleagues. The audio recording was published by the news agency LaPresse and is now meeting with international criticism. In it, the former head of government said that he was back in touch with Putin - and had thanked him for his gift "with a few bottles of Lambrusco".
Forza Italia's communications department initially tried to deny the news, claiming that Berlusconi's statement referred to times past. Following the release of the audio recording, Berlusconi issued a statement denying the alleged resumption of relations with Putin. "Re-established relations with Putin? No, I was just telling a little story...," he replied to reporters as he left the chamber in response to the leaked words from the MPs' meeting.
Berlusconi has long been close friends with Putin, whom he met during his time as prime minister and also visited in Crimea in 2015. Putin described Berlusconi as "one of his five best friends". Why Berlusconi chose Lambrusco in particular as a thank-you gift and whether Vladimir Putin particularly appreciates the sparkling wine from Emilia is not known.
(ru / Source: Rainews; Photo: 123rf.com)