BRUSSELS, July 15. /TASS/. The European Commission has withdrawn a 2-million-euro grant from the Venice Biennale over the reopening of the Russian pavilion, arguing that culture "should safeguard democratic values," European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said at a briefing in Brussels.

"We have strongly condemned right at the beginning the Biennale's decision to allow for Russia's pavilion to be reopened at the Biennale art exhibition. This was our initial position, and that position has not changed, because our position is very clear - culture in Europe should safeguard democratic values," he said. "We have received replies from the Biennale to the three letters that we have sent. The Commission has assessed these replies, and we have now indeed officially <…> recommended the managing agency EACEA to terminate the grant," Regnier added.

He declined to answer a question about whether the European Commission also supports closing the Israeli pavilion over the country's war crimes, saying only that the decision concerns Russia.