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Putin’s vodka gift to Berlusconi breached EU sanctions, Commission says
Former prime minister Berlusconi, whose Forza Italia party is set to be a member of Italy’s new coalition government, caused 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 his lower house lawmakers, according to the audio issued by news agency LaPresse. An EU sanctions package agreed in April extended an import ban for Russian goods to include spirits, including vodka, a Commission spokesperson said in a statement, ... (full story)