The End Of A Friendship - Berlusconi Denounces Putin

The controversial friendship between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Italy's former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi appears to have come to an end after more than two decades of reciprocal admiration, family holidays and shared political values.

- Sofia Barbarani

Rumours that the relationship had been growing frosty were confirmed on Saturday at a Forza Italia convention in Rome when Berlusconi took to the stage and uttered Putin's name for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February.

"I cannot and do not want to hide the fact that I am deeply disappointed and saddened by the behaviour of Vladimir Putin," the billionaire media mogul said. “I met him 20 years ago and he'd always seemed a man of democracy and peace.”

But 20 years of friendship could not withstand Putin's decision to invade Ukraine, prompting the 85-year-old former Italian premier to reconsider his alliance with the man he called "undoubtedly the No 1 among world leaders” in 2015, and once compared to a younger brother.

“Faced with the horrors of civilian massacres in Bucha and other areas in Ukraine, real war crimes, Russia cannot deny its responsibility,” Berlusconi said. “It should, for its own interests, identify and put the perpetrators on trial.”

Berlusconi had reportedly tried on multiple occasions to telephone the Kremlin over the past month only to be hurriedly dismissed, Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported on Sunday. A far cry from what Forza Italia member Giuliano Urbani described in 2001 as very frequent communication between the two leaders. But much has changed since the year the controversial duo first connected.