ROME, May 6 (RIA Novosti) – Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has warned the West about lapsing into Cold War rhetoric amid the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
“In the steps aimed against Russia, I can see the threat of bringing the Cold War back to life,” Berlusconi said Tuesday in an interview with the Radio-1 station.
Last month, the Italian politician lashed out at the European Union over its take on the Ukrainian crisis, accusing Brussels of lacking its own foreign policy.
Tensions between Russia and the West worsened after the ouster of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in February, followed by the rise to power of Western-backed Ukrainian nationalist politicians in the new government in Kiev, which Moscow considers illegitimate.
US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher earlier said the heightened rhetoric surrounding the Ukraine crisis could lead to a new Cold War with Russia.
“They are ignoring the fact that the Cold War is over. That is very damaging to national security and the peace of the world," she warned.
The reunification of Crimea with Russia, sparked by deepening concerns over ultranationalist rhetoric from the new authorities in Kiev, has triggered the deepest crisis in relations between Moscow and the West since the end of Cold War.
