Berlusconi blames Ukraine war on Zelenskyy, chafes Meloni

By COLLEEN BARRY
Associated Press

MILAN (AP) — Italian former Premier Silvio Berlusconi has once again put himself at odds with current Premier Giorgia Meloni by openly criticizing her for meeting with Ukraine’s leader, whom he blamed for the nearly year-old Russian invasion. Berlusconi, whose party supports Meloni’s coalition government, is a long-time friend and ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said the war in Ukraine “would never have happened” if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had “ceased attacking the two autonomous republics of Donbass” — parts of the country that Russia has illegally annexed. Berlusconi added that he judged Zelenskyy’s behavior “very, very negatively” and that he wouldn’t meet with the Ukrainian leader if he were premier.