Silvio Berlusconi is currently in Russia "following President Putin everywhere," Il Giornale reported. Italy's former prime minister said that the Russian leader invited him to come.
#Berlusconi: mi reco nella Federazione Russa per alcuni giorni per incontrare il Presidente Putin, su suo stesso invito
— Forza Italia (@forza_italia) 25 июня 2015
Berlusconi does not hold any position of power at the moment, but his expertise is abundant as is his list of friends, allies, partners and acquaintances.
Italy's former prime minister took to Facebook to say that he was "in good relations with many key figures in international relations and is held in esteem." Hence, he "wants to help secure peace and repair ties between Europe, the United States and Russia."
Mi reco nella Federazione Russa per alcuni giorni per incontrare il Presidente Putin, su suo stesso invito. C'è una…
Posted by Silvio Berlusconi on 25 Июнь 2015 г.
Other topics on the agenda included Ukraine and the Middle East. The bloody terrorist acts Islamic State or its associates committed on Friday in Tunisia, Kuwait and France prove that the West must work closely with Russia to tackle the challenge of international terrorism.
"Putin is our natural ally against Islamic fundamentalism," Berlusconi said, as quoted by Il Giornale.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the information, saying he could not provide additional details. "Indeed, they were in Altai. It is true that Berlusconi came here on a private visit," he said.
Earlier, the Forza Italia leader said that the party would make every effort to convince the Italian government that sanctions imposed on Russia must be lifted.