Berlusconi believes he could end the war in Ukraine

Former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi believes he is the one who can persuade his old friend Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table and end the war in Ukraine, and intends to do so before Christmas, according to the Spectator.

The 86-year-old media tycoon is after a peace deal, mediated by himself, and his private jet is already on standby, the publication writes, Sky News informs.

Vittorio Sgarbi, Mr Berlusconi's confidant and now undersecretary for culture in Giorgia Meloni's new government, has said Mr Berlusconi thinks of himself as the only possible broker.

He told the publication: "Berlusconi loves the beau geste.

"And this is the gesture he has in mind. He believes that he can pull it off, and if he does, without undermining NATO's position, he will enter the history books as a global hero."

Mr Berlusconi previously played the part of mediator in talks between the West and Russia before – most notably at the 2002 Rome summit, which lead to the establishment of a permanent NATO-Russia council.