Russian President Vladimir Putin asked Romano Prodi to “put pressure on then Italian President Giorgio Napolitano to allow Berlusconi to restore his passport, which had been canceled for legal reasons, and to allow him to attend his birthday party.”

The story is told by the main character himself, the former Prime Minister of Italy and the former President of the EU Commission, Romano Prodi, who explains in “Corriere della Sera” that he is not aware of any “economic ties” between Putin and the former Prime Minister. , but knows “from direct experience that the relationship with the staff was very close.”

Evidence? “Once, when I was in power, I was with Putin and the prime minister of France,” Prodi said. And then Putin made such a request. “I replied that such a thing simply cannot be done. And thank God that a French colleague explained to Putin that I was right,” said Romano Prodi, quoted by Il Fatto Quotidiano and Rador.

According to Prodi, in this war, which passed the first year, Putin “made three errors in assessment.” “Except for the soldiers – too few – he believed that the Ukrainians would accept him, and the West would not react. He was absolutely wrong. And now the exit is becoming more and more difficult.” As for possible mediation by China, which has just officially unveiled a 12-point peace plan drawn up by Communist Party leaders, “it seems to me that Russia and China have been at the same distance since the first day of the war. If Beijing supplies weapons, then everything will change,” Prodi said.

Is the conflict in Ukraine insurance for the Maloney government despite polls showing Italy opposes sending arms?

“Not necessarily. The path is binding for all European governments. NATO and the EU have never aligned as closely as they do today. Better yet, let’s ask why the United States prefers alliances with Eastern European countries; why Biden went to Warsaw, not Brussels. The United States should be interested in a united Europe. But I would not want to put pressure on Eastern Europe and its nine countries to make the remaining 18 members understand how to abandon the Atlantic alliance. On the other hand on the other hand, this is possible due to the lack of a common foreign and defense policy of the EU.”

Regarding the perception of Italian politics abroad, Prodi notes: “They are afraid of firecracker politics. Traditional parties everywhere are in crisis, but we are the only country where a party or a leader gets 40% and after a few months or years 4%. Let’s think about Renzi, about M5S, about the League. The question I ask myself abroad is whether politics will really win in the end or whether the Maloney government will be another firecracker,” concluded Prodi. (joyful)