(MENAFN) Formula 1 has released a statement after former CEO Bernie Ecclestone sparked outrage by saying on UK television that he would "take a bullet" for "first-class guy" Vladimir Putin.
Since the Russian Grand Prix was added to the F1 calendar in 2014, Ecclestone has repeatedly referred to Putin as a buddy.
On Thursday, the British businessman told ITV's 'Good Morning Britain' that he still admired Russian President Vladimir Putin and accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of not doing enough to end the violence.
“I’d still take a bullet for him,” Ecclestone responded when questioned if he still views Putin as a friend.
“I’d rather it didn’t hurt, but if it does, I’d still take a bullet, because he’s a first-class person. What he’s doing is something that he believed was the right thing he was doing for Russia.”
When pressed by presenter Kate Garraway, Ecclestone doubled down on his condemnation of Zelensky, “So just to understand you clearly, you think that President Zelensky should have done more to avert this war and it could have been avoided by Zelensky’s actions, not by a change in Putin’s actions?”
“Absolutely,” replied Ecclestone, who recommended Zelensky was more suited to his former profession as a comedian.
“I’m quite sure Ukraine, if they’d wanted to get out of it properly, could have done,” Ecclestone highlighted.
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