Ukraine Accuses Israel of Importing Grain Allegedly Stolen by Russia

Ukraine has accused Israel of importing grain that it claims Russia stole from occupied Ukrainian territories, leading to heightened diplomatic tensions between the two nations. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that a vessel carrying such grain had arrived at an Israeli port and was preparing to unload, labeling the trade as illegal and warning of impending sanctions against those involved.

Israel contested the allegation, asserting that the vessel had not officially entered the port nor submitted its documentation. Marine tracking data indicated that the ship had been in Haifa for several days. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar dismissed Zelenskyy's remarks as "Twitter diplomacy," emphasizing that Ukraine had not provided sufficient information or formal legal requests.

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry responded by summoning Israel's ambassador, Michael Brodsky, to deliver a formal protest. The ministry claimed that multiple vessels carrying grain, allegedly taken illegally by Russia from occupied Ukrainian land, had arrived in Israel. It accused Israel of failing to act on formal requests to detain these shipments, despite being informed in advance and provided with evidence of concealment methods, such as ship-to-ship transfers in the Black Sea.

Kyiv warned that the ongoing import of these disputed goods could harm bilateral relations, framing the issue as systemic rather than isolated. President Zelenskyy emphasized that purchasing stolen goods entails legal liability and announced that Ukraine's intelligence services were preparing sanctions targeting companies and individuals profiting from these shipments. He also indicated plans to coordinate with European partners to include the relevant individuals in European sanctions regimes.