Berlusconi: Putin is a good boy and it is reckless to ban Russian from the G8

Wednesday, 25 March 2014. During a quick interview, Silvio Berlusconi affirms that the decision to suspend Russia from the G8 is “reckless, antihistorical and counterproductive”.

Silvio Berlusconi and Vladimir Putin are good pals, and apparently invading a NATO nation is not a misconduct serious enough, in the eyes of the Italian disgraced politician, to condemn the Russian president, so he keeps on defending him even after the annexation of Crimea and the seizing of Ukraine military bases.

The playful Berlusconi and Putin in Sardinia in 2003

The decision to suspend Russia from the G8 taken during the meeting in The Hague is a “reckless” and “antihistorical” decision, far from the “constructive spirit” that characterised the “long and weighty diplomatic work” the former Italian prime minister went through in order to endorse Putin. Furthermore that will cause the downsizing of the forum to 7 members (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom) and – therefore – the remaking of all the logos and merchandising. 

Berlusconi doesn't seem to take into consideration the possibility that he had been picking the wrong people to endorse (as he didn't do it even after the defection of another of his great friends, Libya's Colonel Muammar Gaddafi).

The friendship between the 77-year-old media mogul turned into politician and the former KBG boss has been on for a while.

The Italian invited Putin to his private villa in Sardinia in 2008, where he famously (and joyfully) pretended to shoot at a Russian journalists when she asked the Russian leader about his alleged affair with Alina Kabaeva, a young (and attractive) rhythmic gymnast and politician (BTW the story proved to be true recently), and he also called Vladimir a “Godsend for Russians” (it is among the quotes we've been collecting). Putin also visited Berlusconi in December 2013, in his current home in Arese.

In turn the Russian leader has long defended Berlusconi and his bunga-bunga parties, dismissing concerns over the former prime minister's sex scandals by saying: “They criticise him mainly because they are jealous.” and then “if Berlusconi was gay, no one would lift a finger against him.”.

That's what I call being buddies!