ROME, July 22. /TASS/. The Venice Biennale will challenge the European Union's decision to withdraw a €2 million grant due to the opening of the Russian pavilion, Il Fatto Quotidiano reported.

The exhibition said that the EC's decision "obliges them to take the steps mentioned earlier, namely, to defend their rights on all relevant platforms." Earlier, European Commission representative Thomas Reyniers said the EC had made a final decision to withdraw the grant.

Russia presented its musical project "The Tree is Rooted in the Sky" with the participation of musicians from Russia, as well as Argentina, Brazil, and Mali at its pavilion at the Biennale on May 6-8.

President of the Venice Biennale Pietrangelo Buttafuoco said that the exhibition is open to all countries and that culture should not be influenced by politics. He maintained this position despite protests from Ukrainian representatives and several politicians.