Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said that he was deeply disappointed and saddened by the behavior of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This was reported by Reuters.
The tycoon, who for years has maintained close friendly relations with the Russian leader, said Putin should take full responsibility in the eyes of the world for the invasion of Ukraine.
"I met him 20 years ago, and he always seemed to me to be a man of democracy and peace ... what a pity," Berlusconi said, speaking at a convention of his conservative Forza Italia party in Rome.
This is Berlusconi's first public comment about Putin since Feb. 24, when Russia invaded Ukraine.
Berlusconi, who in 2015 called Putin "undoubtedly number one among world leaders," once called the 69-year-old Russian leader a little brother. They visited each other in Russia and Italy.
"The attack on Ukraine, instead of bringing Russia into Europe, threw it into the arms of China ... what a pity, what a pity," he said.
As a reminder, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio announced his intention to reopen the embassy in Kiev immediately after Easter (April 22).
