Putin about Berlusconi

              Путин о Берлускони

He was a politician of European, we might say, global scale. There are few such people in the international arena now. He was a great friend of our people and did a lot to develop business, friendly relations between Russia and European countries.

He was the initiator of the development of relations between Russia and the North Atlantic Alliance, it was with his participation that the appropriate mechanisms of interaction were created – and on his initiative.

But above all, it was, of course, an Italian politician.

It's a pity. I want to express my sincere regret and condolences to the Italian people and to all those close to Mr. Berlusconi. This is a great loss not only for Italy, but also for world politics.

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The following is a short paragraph copy/paste from Wikipedia - 

Silvio Berlusconi - (29 September 1936 – 12 June 2023) was an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1994 to 2013; a member of the Senate of the Republic from 2022 to 2023, and previously from March to November 2013; and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2019 to 2022, and previously from 1999 to 2001. With a net worth of US$6.9 billion as of June 2023, Berlusconi was the third-wealthiest person in Italy at the time of his death.