A diplomatic dispute has erupted between Ukraine and Israel after Kyiv accused Israeli authorities of allowing shipments of grain allegedly stolen from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories to enter the country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Tuesday that "another vessel" carrying grain "stolen by Russia" had arrived at an Israeli port and was preparing to unload. He asserted that Israeli authorities "cannot be unaware" of the cargo aboard vessels arriving at their ports and warned that failure to prevent such shipments was damaging bilateral relations.
The controversy follows a report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which revealed that four vessels loaded with grain from occupied Ukraine had been unloaded in Israel earlier this year. A fifth ship, reportedly carrying similar cargo, reached Haifa Bay on Sunday and was awaiting its turn to dock.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha summoned the Israeli ambassador in Kyiv to protest what he called "Israel's lack of appropriate response to Ukraine's legitimate request regarding the previous vessel that delivered stolen goods to Haifa." He warned that accepting stolen grain would harm relations between the two countries.
Israel's Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, rejected the accusations, dismissing them as "Twitter diplomacy." He stated that Israel is a law-abiding state with independent authorities and that the Ukrainian government had not provided evidence or submitted a formal request for legal assistance. "The Ukrainian government has not submitted a request for legal assistance. It has submitted tweets," Saar said. "We reject Twitter diplomacy and we will not be influenced by that."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment, saying he "would rather not get involved in this matter." Russia has previously denied allegations that it is stealing Ukrainian grain.
A spokesperson for the European Union's foreign affairs office told the BBC that the bloc had "taken note of the reports" and condemned actions that help fund Russia's war effort or circumvent EU sanctions. The EU stated that it remains ready to target such activities by listing individuals and entities in third countries if necessary.
Zelensky also announced that Ukraine is preparing a "relevant sanctions package" with European countries to target those involved in transporting and profiting from the sale of stolen grain.