A statement echoing Kremlin propaganda from Silvio Berlusconi has embarrassed the Italian prime minister ahead of her trip to Kyiv.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, leader of the right-wing populist party Brothers of Italy, is set to visit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv—the first such trip for the Italian premier since she took office in October.
Meloni’s visit has been eclipsed by the surprise visit of President Joe Biden to the Ukrainian capital on Monday, where he met with Zelensky and reiterated Washington’s unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s invasion.
But Meloni’s visit to Zelensky was already charged with awkwardness and controversy before Biden’s trip grabbed the spotlight. Though the Italian premier ran her election campaign in 2022 with the firm promise that she would send military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine should her right-wing coalition win, one of her key allies—Silvio Berlusconi—has repeatedly undermined her position.
Berlusconi—a controversial media tycoon and Italy’s longest-serving prime minister—is the leader of Forza Italia, one of the parties within the right-wing coalition in power. He has long considered himself a close friend and admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
