The EU sanctions package agreed in April extended the import ban on Russian products to include spirits, including vodka
The 20 bottles of vodka sent to Italian Silvio Berlusconi as a birthday presentn by Russian President Vladimir Putin violate the European sanctions imposed on Moscow after the invasion of Ukraine, as the European Commission announced today.
Former prime minister Berlusconi, whose Forza Italia party is set to join Italy’s new coalition government, sparked controversy this week when he said he was back in touch with Putin and had recently exchanged “sweet letters” with him.
“For my birthday, he sent me 20 bottles of vodka and a very sweet letter,” Berlusconi, who turned 86 last month, told lawmakers in Italy’s lower house of parliament, according to audio released by the agency. of LaPresse news.
The EU sanctions package which was agreed in April extended the import ban on Russian products in order to include alcoholic beverages, including vodka, a Commission representative said in a statement, adding that there is no exception for gifts. However, it is up to individual member states to implement the sanctions, according to the same source, and it was not immediately clear whether any action would be taken in this case by Italian authorities.
Responding to comments Berlusconi allegedly made regarding Putin and the war in Ukraine, Georgia Meloni, who is expected to be the next prime minister of Italy, he stated yesterday that its new government will be in favor of NATO and fully part of Europe.
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