Latvia said Tuesday that it has called for Russia to be excluded from the 2026 Venice Biennale, saying its petition had the support of 20 other countries plus Ukraine.
The Venice Biennale's decision to allow Russia to have a pavilion this year is highly controversial, with the European Commission saying it put EU funding for the event at risk, while Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli has called on it to revoke the invitation to the Russians.
In a statement accompanying a point raised before EU foreign ministers, Latvia said allowing Russian to participate in the Biennale risk "normalizing" the aggression against Kyiv and weakening pressure on Moscow.
"Latvia, along with 20 other countries and Kyiv, has already called on the organizers to reconsider Russian participation," it said.
Riga also said an EU approach was needed to limit the Kremlin's influence on cultural events.
