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| Russia axes London art exhibition | Russia axes London art exhibition |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Russian authorities have called off a major London exhibition of French and Russian art because Britain had failed to guarantee the paintings' return. | Russian authorities have called off a major London exhibition of French and Russian art because Britain had failed to guarantee the paintings' return. |
| Russia's culture agency told the British government its reassurances were "impossible to accept". | Russia's culture agency told the British government its reassurances were "impossible to accept". |
| From Russia: French and Russian Master Paintings had been due to open at the Royal Academy of Arts in January. | From Russia: French and Russian Master Paintings had been due to open at the Royal Academy of Arts in January. |
| Some of the art was taken from private collections after the 1917 revolution, leading to fears of seizure. | Some of the art was taken from private collections after the 1917 revolution, leading to fears of seizure. |
| Political problems | |
| The British government said it had done all it can to reassure the Russian authorities, including sending a personal letter from the culture secretary, James Purnell. | |
| "The government has done everything possible to facilitate the exhibition going ahead, including full assurances that the works would be protected from seizure," his department said. | |
| However, some think the decision indicates political problems between the two countries following the dispute over the Alexander Litvinenko murder case. | |
| It eventually led to the expulsion of diplomats on each side. | |
| The director of the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Mikhail Piontrovsky, told the BBC politics and culture should not be mixed. | |
| "Remember that Russia and Britain regularly have these flashpoints which come and go. | |
| "Culture should function independently and we have never suffered such a connection," he said. | |
| "We have many projects with Britain. Political relationships change but I sincerely hope that nobody will use this for a fleeting political gesture," he added. |