The European Commission is ending its financial support for the Venice Biennale, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced after a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on July 13.
“The Commission is ending the funding to the Venice Biennale. Culture and sport must not become vehicles of whitewashing aggression,” Kallas said.
The EU’s foreign ministers also strongly condemned the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow Russian athletes to return to international competitions.
“The International Olympic Committee's decision to invite Russian athletes back to international competitions is blind to reality. [The] ministers strongly condemn such a decision, as it coincides with Russia killing a record number of Ukrainian civilians. So, it looks like the International Olympic Committee is rewarding such attacks,” Kallas added.
This year, Russia took part in the Biennale for the first time since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Russian pavilion’s presence at the exhibition drew strong condemnation from Ukraine and its allies and was accompanied by protests from the groups Femen and Pussy Riot.
Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, the exhibition’s president, described Russia’s return as a “real truce” and “foreign policy.” On April 21, Kallas said the EU intended to pull €2 million in funding for the Biennale, allocated for the 2025-2028 three-year period, over Russia’s return to the event. In early May, the European Commission warned the Italian government and the exhibition’s organizers that Russia’s participation violated EU sanctions.
