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The European Commission said on Thursday that the 20 bottles of vodka that Russian President Vladimir Putin gave to Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi as a birthday present violated European sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine.
Former Prime Minister Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party will be part of Italy’s new coalition government, sparking controversy this week when he said he reconnected with Putin and recently exchanged “sweet letters” with him.
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“On my birthday, he gave me 20 bottles of vodka and a very sweet letter,” Berlusconi, who turned 86 last month, told MPs, according to audio released by news agency LaPresse.
A European Union sanctions package agreed in April extended an import ban on Russian goods to spirits including vodka, a European Commission spokesman said in a statement, adding that there were no exemptions for gifts.
However, they said it was up to individual EU member states to impose sanctions, and it was unclear whether Italian authorities would do anything to pursue the case.
In response to Berlusconi’s reported comments about Putin and the war in Ukraine, Georgia Meloni, who is expected to be Italy’s next prime minister, said on Wednesday that her new government would support NATO and belong entirely to Europe.
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