February 15, 2023, 09:28 – BLiTZ – News Conservative politicians representing nine countries of the European Union (EU) have announced their intention to boycott the upcoming meeting of the conservatives in Italy, subject to the participation of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. This was published by the American newspaper Politico.
According to journalists, the reason for the boycott of the politician and the Forza Italia party, to which he is directly related, was his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Many delegations won’t go to Naples if Berlusconi is there,” Ras Juknevicienė, a conservative European People’s Party (EPP) MEP from Lithuania, was quoted by the paper as saying.
The authors of the material also noted that the statement of the former Italian prime minister is a sharp contrast to the position taken by most European conservatives, including members of the EPP, under whose leadership many national conservative parties are united in the European Parliament, including Forza Italia.
“We have a problem with Berlusconi, but not a problem with Forza Italia. At tomorrow’s plenary session, I will fully clarify our position on Ukraine,” stressed the head of the EPP, Manfred Weber.
Earlier, the BLiTZ reported that Berlusconi had called for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. He said that he supported the Kyiv authorities and suggested that the “Marshall Plan” of the West to restore the state could become one of the methods of diplomatic settlement of the situation.
