Berlusconi and the Russian leader are known to be close, with the pair often visiting each other in their respective home countries.
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Italian newspaper La Stampa cited Silvio Berlusconi on Thursday as saying that Putin had offered him Russian citizenship and the position of minister of economic development.
“Think about it: in Italy I am marginalized, while Putin tells me he is ready to give me [Russian] citizenship and get me the lead of the Russian Economy Ministry,” the controversial politician added. Putin meanwhile is a regular visitor to Berlusconi’s villa in Sardinia.
Things haven’t been great for Silvio Berlusconi in the past couple of years.
Putin and Berlusconi have long been friends, and during a visit to Rome by Putin in June Berlusconi pledged that his Forza Italia party would work to lift sanctions imposed on Russian Federation by the West in the wake of the Ukraine crisis.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, said that Putin’s offer was more “figurative” than real and was merely a show of support for an old friend. They keep in touch and we are talking here of truly comradely terms.
“In this case…it should be seen as figurative support rather than a formal offer to take some official post, which, of course, is impossible”, he was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.
Italian commentators also expressed doubts about how serious Berlusconi’s comments were.
He had just completed a community service order for tax fraud and analysts said it could pave the way for the 78-year-old to return to Italian politics.
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However, the story comes two years after Gerard Depardieu, a French actor, befriended Putin and was given a Russian passport after criticising taxes on top earners in France.
