KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A diplomatic dispute has erupted between Ukraine and Israel over allegations that Israeli ports are accepting grain shipments that Ukraine claims were illegally seized by Russia from occupied territories.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated Tuesday that a grain-carrying vessel had reached an Israeli port and was getting ready to discharge its cargo, describing the transaction as unlawful and threatening punitive measures against participants.
Israeli officials countered that the ship had not docked at the port and had yet to file required paperwork. However, the marine tracking platform MarineTraffic.com indicated the vessel had been stationed in Haifa for multiple days.
“In any normal country, purchasing stolen goods is an act that entails legal liability,” Zelenskyy posted on X, noting that Ukraine’s intelligence agencies were developing sanctions aimed at businesses and people benefiting from these deliveries.
“We will also coordinate with European partners to ensure that the relevant individuals are included in European sanctions regimes,” he stated.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced that the nation’s tax officials had launched a probe into a vessel anticipated to arrive at Haifa port.
Saar criticized Zelenskyy’s statements as “Twitter diplomacy,” stating during a Jerusalem press briefing that Ukraine had failed to supply adequate details or seek legal cooperation.
Heorhii Tykhyi, representing Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, maintained that Kyiv had notified Israeli officials about the ships beforehand. He reported that over two vessels had reached Israel carrying agricultural goods that Ukraine claims Russia illegally seized from occupied Ukrainian territory.
The ministry reported summoning Israeli Ambassador Michael Brodsky and delivering a formal complaint regarding what it characterized as an ongoing stream of such deliveries. Officials added that they had determined the grain’s source and were familiar with concealment tactics, including vessel-to-vessel transfers in the Black Sea.
Nevertheless, the shipments kept arriving at Israeli ports and entering commercial markets, the ministry stated, criticizing Israel for not responding to official requests to seize the ships and their cargo.
Kyiv characterized the problem as widespread rather than an isolated incident, calling on Israel to stop imports it claims involve stolen Ukrainian grain and cautioning that the situation could damage diplomatic ties between the nations.
