Berlusconi criticized Zelensky and offered the US to give Ukraine money in exchange for a ceasefire

Silvio Berlusconi, former prime minister of Italy, leader of the Forward Italy party, a member of the ruling coalition, has criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In his opinion, “nothing would have happened” if he had stopped attacks on the republics of Donbass. Mr. Berlusconi also suggested that the US give Ukraine money for reconstruction only on the condition of a ceasefire.

“If I were prime minister, I would not go to talk with Zelensky, because we see the ruin of his country and the extermination of soldiers and residents. It was enough to stop the attacks on the two autonomous republics of Donbass, and what is happening would never have happened, so I assess the actions of this gentleman very negatively, ”Mr. Berlusconi said after voting in the regional elections in his native region of Lombardy (quoted from il Messaggero).

The former Italian prime minister believes that US President Joe Biden should “take Zelensky and tell him:” At the end of the war, you will have the Marshall plan to restore Ukraine at your disposal. According to Mr. Berlusconi, the measure could include support for $6-9 billion, provided that Mr. Zelensky “orders a ceasefire and that from tomorrow we will not give you any more dollars and we will not give you any more weapons.” “Only this could convince this gentleman to achieve a ceasefire,” the Italian politician added.

The former Prime Minister of Italy in April 2022 accused Russia of war crimes. He stated that he was disappointed in President Vladimir Putin, with whom he had previously maintained friendly relations. He later urged Europe to put forward proposals for a peace settlement and persuade Ukraine to accept “Putin’s questions.” Silvio Berlusconi in January 2023 expressed regret about the lack of a plan to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. In his opinion, only the Pope proposed such a plan.

Leonid Uvarchev