Italy's Berlusconi says he wouldn't seek meeting with Zelenskiy if PM

FILE PHOTO: Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi gestures during a campaign rally ahead of the general election, in Milan, Italy, September 23, 2022. REUTERS/Flavio Lo Scalzo

ROME (Reuters) -Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi would not seek a meeting with Volodymir Zelenskiy if he were still head of government, because he blames the Ukrainian President for the war with Russia, he said on Sunday.

Berlusconi, 86, often boasted of his friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin until Russia's invasion of Ukraine and created a storm last September when he said Putin had been pushed into the war and wanted to put "decent people" in charge of Kyiv.