Italy's Foreign Minister called Russia's admission to the Venice Biennale short-sighted
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called the decision to allow Russian artists to participate in the 2026 Venice Biennale an extremely short-sighted move. He made this statement on the sidelines of an event in Verona, according to “Ukrainska Pravda,” citing “European Pravda.”
Tajani was commenting on the European Union’s decision to cancel a 2 million euro grant in response to Russia’s return to the exhibition. According to him, the participation of Russian artists in the Biennale “certainly causes immense, immense surprise.”
The head of the Italian Foreign Ministry stated that the Russian Federation is an aggressor state that violated international law by attacking Ukraine. He also mentioned the expulsion of two spies who, he said, were caught red-handed while attempting to bribe two Italians, as well as cyberattacks that, according to Tajani, are being carried out by Russia.
In July, the European Commission recommended that the European Education and Culture Executive Agency suspend a 2 million euro grant to the Venice Biennale due to its decision to allow the Russian pavilion to open for the first time since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The procedure to revoke the grant was initiated following a statement by Biennale Foundation President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, who confirmed the intention to reopen the Russian pavilion.
In the first stage, the European Commission gave the Biennale Foundation 30 days to either abandon this plan or provide arguments for halting the grant revocation procedure. Subsequently, the EU demanded additional official clarifications regarding the nature of Russia’s participation in the event.
