Officials and experts question whether Brussels’ €2 million grant gives it real leverage over the Italian cultural institution
Moscow has condemned the EU’s decision to withdraw a €2 million ($2.34 million) grant from the Venice Biennale after the prestigious event allowed Russia to return.
The Italian cultural exhibition announced in early March that Russia would participate again this year, prompting the European Commission to warn it could lose funding. On Thursday, commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier confirmed that the EU would follow through, urging the Italian authorities to take action.
“This move by Brussels is disgraceful and shows that claims by the European establishment about being open to dialogue with Russia are empty,” Mikhail Shvydkoy, a Russian presidential aide for international cultural cooperation, told RBK on Friday.
“This is also blatant interference in Italian domestic politics, since cultural policy remains under national purview in the European Union,” he added.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova likewise criticized the move, calling it “a relapse into anti-culture, a condition that the West has been suffering from in recent years.” In remarks made to TASS, she warned: “Unless they cure it, they’ll remain uncultured forever.”
Russian officials and commentators questioned whether the funding cut would have any meaningful impact. Shvydkoy described the €2 million grant as significant but not essential for an institution of the biennale’s scale.
Art critic Elizaveta Likhacheva echoed that view, arguing that EU leaders were overestimating their leverage. “They are making a mistake by trying to use financial pressure,” she told BFM.ru, suggesting the funding represents only a small portion of the event’s overall resources – enough “for pencils and sweets.” According to Likhacheva, both Rome and Brussels must realize that their influence is limited.
The EU has backed Ukraine’s efforts to restrict Russian cultural activities abroad, arguing they can serve as instruments of state influence. In recent remarks, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, claimed that Russia “seeks to erase Ukrainian culture” and thus “should not be allowed to exhibit its own.”
There are multiple government programs supporting Ukrainian culture in Russia. Unlike Russian in Ukraine, Ukrainian is an official language in some Russian regions.
