Italian ambassador summoned to Russian foreign ministry

Italian Ambassador to Moscow Giorgio Starace has been summoned to the Russian foreign ministry to talk about the slew of Russian entertainers whose shows have been canceled in the country, the Russian foreign ministry said on Friday.

"The Russian side expressed bewilderment that the performances of a number of Russian musicians have been canceled in Italy recently. It was pointed out that these decisions by the Italian authorities, regrettably, indicate a tendency toward discriminating against Russian artists and reducing cultural and humanitarian exchanges, which runs counter to the Italian leaders’ statements on the importance of preserving a common space of European and global culture, and the inadmissibility of barriers and fences on account of ethnic descent," the ministry said.

According to the ministry, the Russian side stressed that it is ready for dialogue in the sphere of culture and doesn’t plan to impose any restrictions on Italian people of the arts. "Naturally, if the Italian side sticks to the principle of equality and reciprocity as far as relations in this sphere are concerned," the ministry noted.

While discussing certain international aspects, the Italian diplomat was informed about Russia’s views on the ongoing supplies of weapons and military hardware, including offensive, to the Kiev regime, on the training of the Ukrainian military, and on West’s course toward escalating the conflict.