Bernie Ecclestone has issued an apology for his contentious remarks on Ukrainian War and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The former F1 executive was scheduled to skip tomorrow’s Austrian Grand Prix as a result of the criticism after calling Putin a “first class guy” in an interview on Good Morning Britain last week.
However, the billionaire apologized and clarified his position on the conflict in a statement to Sky Sports News today.
“I believe people frequently come out and say things or do things without really thinking too much,” he added.
‘Probably I did the same. I can understand people thinking I’m defending what he’s done in Ukraine, which I don’t.
‘I was brought up during the war, the last war, so I know what it’s like.
‘So I feel sorry for the people in Ukraine having to suffer for something they haven’t done. They’ve done nothing wrong. They didn’t start anything. They want to get on with their lives.
‘They want the kids to go to school and try and go to work and earn a living to keep the family going.
‘So they don’t deserve to have to suffer. It’s not good for anybody. I can’t see anybody getting anything out of this and I think they should get together and get an agreement.
‘And I’m sorry if anything I’ve said has upset anybody because it certainly wasn’t intended.’
After a strange interview with Good Morning Britain this week, he apologized.
Ecclestone incited uproar when he made fun of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, claiming that he used to be a comic and seemed to “want to continue being one” prior to the Ukraine war.
The invasion “might have ended differently,” he continued, if Zelensky had “spoken with Putin.”
When questioned by journalist Kate Garraway about whether he thought Zelensky’s actions, as opposed to Putin’s, may have changed to prevent conflict, Ecclestone responded, “Absolutely.”
He added: ‘What he’s doing is something he believed was the right thing for Russia.
‘Unfortunately, like a lot of business people, certainly like me, we make mistakes from time to time, and when you’ve made the mistake you have to do the best you can to get out of it.’
The other guy in Ukraine, he said, “I think if it had been performed correctly… He was a comedian in the past, and from what I can see, he wants to stay in that line of work. I believe that if he had given it any thought, he would have made a significant effort to communicate with Mr. Putin, who is a reasonable guy and would have listened to him and probably taken action.
Ecclestone was questioned by host Ben Shephard over the hundreds of innocent lives lost in Ukraine, asking: “You can’t explain that, surely?”
I don’t, Ecclestone retorted. Look at how often America has expanded into nations that have nothing to do with America; it wasn’t done on purpose.
He added: ‘And I’m quite sure Ukraine, if they’d wanted to get out of it properly, could have done.’
Asked if he has had a chance to speak to Putin about ‘what a mess’ the situation is or urged him to rethink what he is doing, Ecclestone said: ‘No. He’s probably thought about that himself. He probably doesn’t need reminding.
‘I’m absolutely sure he now wishes he hadn’t started this whole business, but didn’t start as a war.’