Members of European Parliament call on EU to pull Venice Biennale funding over Russian participation

At least 34 members of the European Parliament (with Politico reporting 37 signatories) have urged the EU to suspend all funding to the Venice Biennale Foundation if Russia participates, The Art Newspaper reported, citing a letter published March 26. Addressed to Ursula von der Leyen, Kaja Kallas, and Cyprus foreign minister Constantinos Kombos, the letter argues Russia should not take part in an event supported by European taxpayers and says the Russian pavilion should not be used for any Russia-organized activities, physical or digital. The push follows an announcement by Vladimir Putin’s cultural envoy Mikhail Shvydkoy that Russia plans a folk- and world-music-heavy program titled The tree is rooted in the sky—Russia’s first participation since its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. EU commissioners Henna Virkkunen and Glenn Micallef previously threatened to suspend an EU grant reported by the Financial Times as €2 million, and Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha renewed calls to act after a March 24 drone strike hit UNESCO-protected central Lviv.

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