The organizers of the Les Étoiles world ballet stars gala in Rome have canceled the performance of Russian ballerina Svetlana Zakharova (pictured above), a principal dancer of the Bolshoi Theatre, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The event is scheduled for March 20–21, and Zakharova had been invited because “art is a tool of unity,” and “dance is one of the bridges that allows events consistent with the spirit of peace,” the organizers said. They also stressed that Zakharova is not under European Union sanctions and that inviting her fully complied with Italian law.

At the same time, the organizers of Les Étoiles said they had received numerous appeals in recent days referring to the “symbolic responsibility of cultural institutions” for the events they hold in the current international context.

“Firmly reaffirming our respect for the freedom of expression of artists and our opposition to any form of discrimination based on nationality, we announce the withdrawal of the invitation sent to the star and that, contrary to previous statements, Svetlana Zakharova will not take part in the gala,” the statement said.

Zakharova confirmed that her performance had been canceled. According to her, the organizers “tried until the very end to do everything possible, but, according to them, they faced unprecedented external and internal pressure and, despite all efforts, were unable to resist it.”

“In Europe, the policy of canceling Russian culture continues. This is not the first such case in my experience, and my attitude toward this situation remains neutral,” Zakharova added.

Reuters notes that the withdrawal of Zakharova’s invitation came amid a recent decision by the organizers of the Venice Biennale to restore Russia’s participation in the exhibition. This move drew criticism from the European Commission, which threatened to withdraw grants for the event. Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini supported the exhibition’s position and also criticized Zakharova’s removal from the Les Étoiles gala, calling the decision “Russophobic.”

“Excluding Russian dancers, artists, or athletes will not resolve the conflict [in Ukraine], but will only make it more complicated,” he said.