(dpa) - Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to Italy on April 17-18 to meet future Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi just days after his election victory, the Kremlin said Tuesday.
The Russian leader will make a stop-over at Berlusconi's sprawling villa in Sardinia on his way back from a working visit to Libya on April 16-17.
Putin has long enjoyed a warm relationship with Berlusconi, for whom this is the third election to office.
The 55-year-old ex-KGB leader's family, who are closely kept from the public eye, have exceptionally accompanied Putin on previous visits to Italy.
His wife Lyudmilla Putin has also toured Italy alone while their two daughters, Masha and Katya, spent a summer at Berlusconi's villa.