'I sent him bottles of Lambrusco': Italy's Berlusconi boasts about friendship with Putin in leaked audio
CNN
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi sparked controversy this week when audio released by Italian news agency LaPresse revealed the 86-year-old speaking about his "re-established" relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Berlusconi says in the audio that Putin sent him 20 bottles of vodka and a "very sweet letter" on his birthday last month.
His office confirmed with CNN on Thursday that the clips were authentic -- apparently having been secretly recorded during a meeting of Berlusconi's Forza Italia party in the parliamentary chamber on Tuesday.
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