“Relations between Russia and Italy are at their lowest point,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, condemning what he described as Italy’s “war on Russian culture.”
According to Lavrov, the Italian government - and in some cases regional authorities - have cancelled previously agreed tours by Russian artists, citing the recent cancellation of opera singer Ildar Abdrazakov’s tour as an example. “There have been several similar cases before this,” he said, referring to invitations extended to world-renowned Russian artists, contracts signed and then abruptly revoked.
Lavrov also mentioned the Venice Biennale, where Russia has been barred from using its national pavilion. “We own a pavilion there, but we are forbidden to use it, and instead it is rented out,” he said. “How does this fit with the Italian character, with the Italian view of life, with Italy’s traditional aversion to politicising normal human interactions?”
The Russian foreign minister added that European leaders’ calls for dialogue with Moscow “no longer sound serious.” “If European leaders were genuinely interested in engaging with Russia,” he concluded, “they could simply pick up the phone.”