Ukraine has called on Italy not to issue visas to participants from Russia attending the Venice Biennale
Ukraine hopes that Italy, as the host country, will not issue visas to Russian participants in the Venice Biennale, even though the organizers have not canceled their participation.
This was stated by Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga during a conversation with journalists in Kyiv.
According to the foreign minister, this issue was already discussed during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Italy.
“We have imposed sanctions on those individuals, the Russian participants. And we are now raising the issue so that visas are not issued to them. The host country is Italy. We very much hope that they will listen to us. Because we have imposed sanctions (on Russians) and expect that visas will not be issued,” Sibiga said.
Officials in Kyiv emphasize that the participation of Russian representatives in international cultural events in Europe during a full-scale war remains a politically and morally sensitive issue, and decisions regarding visas must comply with Ukraine’s current sanctions restrictions.
As a reminder, Latvia has stated that it may boycott the opening of the Venice Biennale in 2026 if the organizers do not reconsider their decision regarding Russia’s participation in the exhibition.
Recall that the foreign ministers of the European Union countries expressed support for the creation of a special tribunal to investigate Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine.
Austria has officially confirmed its intention to join the Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Special Tribunal on Russia’s Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
France has officially confirmed its intention to join the Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Establishment of a Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
