Vladimir Putin was not invited to attend the funeral of his “true friend” Silvio Berlusconi, according to a close adviser to the Russian president. The former prime minister of Italy was honored Wednesday at a state funeral in Milan’s Duomo cathedral. But Yury Ushakov, an adviser to Putin on foreign policy issues, told Russia’s Interfax news agency the Russian leader was not given the chance to attend despite the praise he lavished on Berlusconi after his death was announced. “We don’t know about the level of foreign presence at the funeral, but the Russian side was not invited to this ceremony,” Ushakov said. He noted that Putin was “sincerely mourning” the loss of his longtime pal with whom he shared a “years-long friendship.” In the wake of Berlusconi’s death at age 86 this week, Putin hailed the politician as a “dear person” and “true friend.” “I have always sincerely admired his wisdom, his ability to make balanced, far-sighted decisions even in the most difficult situations,” Putin said.
