The 70-year-old president said that he admired the Italian's wisdom and ability to make "far-sighted decisions even in the most difficult situations."

Russian President Vladimir Putin participates via video link in a ceremony launching a gold processing facility in Kyrgyzstan, in Moscow on 17 March 2021. Picture: Alexei Druzhinin/AFP

AFP | 12 June 2023 16:12

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said the death of Silvio Berlusconi, one of his closest friends in the West, was an "irreparable loss" and hailed him as a "true friend."

"For me Silvio was a cherished person and a true friend," Putin said in a telegram to the Italian president released by the Kremlin. "His passing is an irreparable loss and a great sorrow."

The 70-year-old president said that he admired the Italian's wisdom and ability to make "far-sighted decisions even in the most difficult situations."

He praised Berlusconi's "incredible vitality, optimism and sense of humour."

In Russia, he said, he will be remembered as a "principled" supporter of strengthening ties with Italy.

"A true patriot, Silvio Berlusconi always put the interests of the Fatherland above all else," Putin added.

Both men for years flaunted their bromance -- they stayed in each other's holiday homes, skied together and were snapped sporting giant fur hats.

Putin gave Berlusconi a four-poster bed, in which the Italian had sex with an escort in 2008, according to the escort's tell-all book. He in turn gave Putin a duvet cover featuring a life-sized image of the two men.

Berlusconi struggled to break up with the increasingly isolated Kremlin chief even after he sent troops to Ukraine in February, 2022.

"They were two autocrats who mutually reinforced their image: power, physical prowess, bravado, glitz," historian and Berlusconi author Antonio Gibelli told AFP.

Last year Berlusconi controversially said Putin was "pushed" by his entourage into starting the offensive, sparking an outcry in Italy.

In the months before the Ukraine assault, Berlusconi continued to promote their close ties, including a "long and friendly" New Year's Eve phone call.

It was not until April, two months after the start of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, that he publicly criticised the conflict, saying he was "disappointed and saddened" by Putin.