Ukraine’s top diplomat reached out to Israeli officials this week regarding a Russian ship that was permitted to dock at an Israeli port while carrying grain that Ukraine claims was illegally taken from its territory.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar about the vessel on Tuesday, addressing what Ukraine views as theft of agricultural products from territories under Russian control.
Ukraine maintains that all grain harvested from the four regions Russia has claimed since its 2022 invasion, along with Crimea which Russia seized in 2014, constitutes stolen Ukrainian property.
“I stressed that the illegal export of stolen Ukrainian agricultural products is part of Russia’s broader war effort,” Sybiha wrote in a Tuesday evening social media post. “Such illegal trade with stolen goods must not be allowed.”
While Russia calls these four regions its “new territories,” the international community continues to recognize them as Ukrainian land.
According to Sybiha’s previous statements in March, Russia transported over 2 million tons of allegedly stolen Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea during the past year. Ukrainian officials calculated in August that Russia has taken approximately 15 million tons of Ukrainian grain since launching its full-scale military operation.
The diplomatic conversation also covered broader security issues and Middle Eastern developments.
“We reaffirmed our mutual interest in advancing the bilateral agenda and maintaining an active dialogue, including on security-related matters,” Sybiha stated.
