Posted on 09/28/2015 6:43:25 PM PDT by Citizen Zed
Four-time Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on Sunday the Crimean people had made a democratic choice to split from Ukraine and hailed Russian President Vladimir Putin as the world's greatest political leader.
Earlier this month, Berlusconi became the most prominent Western politician to visit the Black Sea peninsula, which was annexed by Russia last year in a move that has driven a wedge between Moscow and Washington.
Pro-Russian separatists are fighting the Kiev government in eastern Ukraine, a conflict that will most likely be raised at a meeting on Monday in New York between U.S. President Barack Obama and Putin.
Berlusconi, who has long had a close relationship with Putin, criticized Western sanctions imposed on Russia over its role in the Ukraine crisis for hurting Italian businesses. He called the 2014 Crimean referendum "democratic" and "valid".
"Eighty-seven percent of Crimean citizens voted, 93 percent voted to cede from Ukraine, voted to be an autonomous republic, voted to become part of the Russian Federation," Berlusconi said in a speech in northern Italy broadcast on television.
"You should see the love, the gratitude and the friendliness that welcomed Putin" in Crimea, Berlusconi said, calling the Russian president the world's "number 1" political leader.
"Women threw themselves into his arms saying, 'Thank you, Vladimir. Thank you, Vladimir.'"
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Putin Wins—again.
“Eighty-seven percent of Crimean citizens voted, 93 percent voted to cede from Ukraine, voted to be an autonomous republic, voted to become part of the Russian Federation,”
The rest were ‘unavailable for comment’.
Remember what happened last time the Italians cast their lot early in a brewing world conflict. Gotta hand it to them for getting off the ball though, they may be right this time.
Surprising that only 93% were in favor, when the choice was between yes, and yes.
I’ll never vote for him again!
For those who don’t know, many Italians migrated to Crimea over a long period of time. And Italy is Iran’s main trading partner.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.