The European Commission has formally recommended revoking €2 million in grant funding earmarked for the Venice Biennale, marking the first Russian participation since the invasion of Ukraine and triggering a major cultural funding dispute.
Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen announced the recommendation on X, directing the European Education and Culture Executive Agency to cut the three-year grant. The Commission had warned Italian authorities that Russia's involvement violated EU sanctions, arguing that publicly funded European culture must uphold democratic values. The Biennale opened on May 9, 2026, with the Russian pavilion present, reversing its closure in the 2022 and 2024 editions.
The dispute was escalated to June's European Council conclusions, which opposed any normalisation of Russian participation in international cultural events until a just peace is reached in Ukraine.