LONDON, June 30. /TASS/. Bernie Ecclestone, the former owner of Formula One, has said he would "still take a bullet" for Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Daily Mail reported on Thursday.
"I’d still take a bullet for him, <...> because he is a first-class person," the British daily quoted the billionaire as saying. What the Russian leader is doing "is something that he believed was the right thing for" his country, Ecclestone added.
When asked whether a change in Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s actions could have prevented the military conflict, the ex-Formula One owner said: "Absolutely."
"I understand he [Zelensky] used to be a comedian, and I think he seems to want to continue that profession," the British entrepreneur said. "I think if he had thought about things he would have definitely made a big enough effort to speak to Mr. Putin, who is a sensible person and would have listened to him and probably done something about it [resolving the conflict].'
Ecclestone was Formula One chief executive in 1978-2017. In October 2014, he attended Russia’s inaugural Grand Prix in Sochi and watched the race sitting next to Putin a V.I.P enclosure. He has repeatedly voiced his support of the Russian president and of "what he is doing" in interviews. According to Forbes annual rankings, Ecclestone was worth $3.3 billion in 2020.