- The mayor of a Polish town publicly shamed Italian politician
Matteo Salvini , a video shows. - Salvini, leader of Italy's Lega Nord, has praised Putin in the past and posed in a t-shirt showing his face.
An Italian politician was denounced as a "friend" of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday by the mayor of a Polish town near the Ukrainian border, a video shows.
Footage of the tense encounter, shared on Twitter by Italian journalist Simone Alliva, showed Przemysl mayor Wojciech Bakun confronting Italy's former deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini over his past support of Putin.
—Antonello Guerrera (@antoguerrera) March 8, 2022
Salvini, who is the leader of Italy's right-wing Lega Nord party, previously praised the Russian leader as "the best statesmen currently on earth," in 2019, per Reuters.
Salvini has also shown support for Putin by wearing a t-shirt with his face on it. Politico reported that he wore the short several times since 2014, including once in Moscow's Red Square.
—Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) March 8, 2022
During a joint press conference, Bakun made a point of Salvini's past comments by brandishing a similar Putin shirt.
The mayor then offered a "personal comment" for Salvini, suggesting that the Italian senator wear the t-shirt and come with him to a refugee center to see what his "friend" Putin had done.
Two million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, according to the United Nations, with The Guardian reporting that at least half of them have crossed into
The exodus from Ukraine is the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since WWII, the head of the UN's refugee agency said.
Przemysl's train station, where the joint press conference was held, has been a key entry point for hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees, per the Independent.
During the press conference Salvini interrupted Bakun repeatedly, saying in English: "We are helping refugees, children, mums, dads, from Ukraine."
This is a dramatic change in position for Salvini, who previously espoused anti-immigrant rhetoric and introduced measures to erode protections for asylum seekers. Salvini is now calling on Italians to open their doors to refugees.
The footage goes on to show Salvini walking away from Bakun after being criticized. As he walks off, the mayor can be heard saying in English that he has "no respect" for Salvini. Italian photographers can also be heard referring to Salvini as a "buffoon" and a "clown."
Salvini has said that there is "clearly an attacker" in Ukraine, according to Reuters, but has yet to condemn Putin by name.