"Can you imagine, while in Italy they are trying to put me on the sidelines, Putin told me that he would be ready to give me citizenship and to entrust me with the leadership of Russia’s Economy Ministry," Berlusconi said Wednesday during a dinner with Italy’s Forza Italia party members in Rome, as quoted by the newspaper.
Putin and the former Italian leader are known to have a long-standing warm personal relationship.
Early in June, the Russian president traveled to Rome to meet with Pope Francis and Italian leadership, including Berlusconi. Following the meeting, Berlusconi said that his Forza Italia party would advocate for lifting the anti-Russia economic sanctions imposed by the European Union over the Ukrainian crisis.
Later that month, Berlusconi reportedly visited Putin in Russia’s Altai Republic in Western Siberia.
In the beginning of July, the 78-year-old veteran Italian politician was sentenced for three years in prison and banned from holding public service for five years for bribing members of the Italian Senate. He, however, is unlikely to serve the term, as the statute of limitations on the case expires in October and the case is still eligible for appeal.
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