Putin Berlusconi and Personal Relationship

personal relationship: Russia takeover is not internationally recognized, according to The Moscow Times. Putin and Berlusconi, known for enjoying a good personal relationship, laid flowers at a monument commemorating soldiers fallen in a 19th century war over Crimea. Western visitors have been rare since the annexation, which drove relations between Moscow and the West to their lowest point since the Cold War era and prompted the United States and the European Union to slap economic sanctions on Russia. They included troops of the Kingdom of Sardinia, part of modern-day Italy. Moscow played up a visit by several French parliamentarians to Crimea this summer in striving to secure wider international recognition of its de facto control of the peninsula. Short footage run by Russia state television broadcaster showed Putin telling Berlusconi he wanted the establish the exact names of the Italian soldiers and imprint them on the memorial. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.