Russia had previously enjoyed a privileged relationship with Italy , particularly under the leadership of Silvio Berlusconi , who was a personal friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin . Following the Russian military intervention in Ukraine , however , relations worsened . On 2 March 2014 , Renzi accused Putin of having committed " an unacceptable violation " . On 19 March , during a speech to the Chamber of Deputies , Renzi stated that the Crimean status referendum was illegal and that the G8 countries must start co-operating to solve the crisis and prevent a return to the Cold War . In June , he subsequently participated in the G7 summit in Brussels , the first one held after the suspension of Russia from the G8 following the annexation of Crimea in March
G7 summit
40th G7 summit
Matteo Renzi