Jerusalem
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Israel of knowingly permitting grain stolen by Russia to be unloaded at Israeli ports, threatening to impose sanctions on anybody concerned in the shipments, which Kyiv says have continued regardless of a number of appeals to Israeli officers.
Zelensky’s warning Tuesday displays a deepening rift between the 2 nations, dropped at a head by the arrival in Israeli waters of a vessel named Panormitis, which entered Haifa Bay final week and is at present anchored offshore, apparently awaiting a berth. Ukraine says the ship is carrying wheat stolen from occupied Ukrainian territories and can be the second such cargo to dock and unload in Haifa this month.
“In any normal country, purchasing stolen goods is an act that entails legal liability. This applies, in particular, to grain stolen by Russia,” Zelensky wrote on X. “This is not – and cannot be – legitimate business. The Israeli authorities cannot be unaware of which ships are arriving at the country’s ports and what cargo they are carrying.”
In a sequence of forceful pushbacks, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Ukraine of participating in “Twitter diplomacy,” saying it had not submitted proof for its declare the grain was stolen. He additionally underlined that the contentious Panormitis vessel had not but docked in Haifa, including that Israeli tax authorities have been now inspecting the matter.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine greater than 4 years in the past, Kyiv has constantly accused Moscow of the systematic looting of its agricultural sources – the true origin of which it says is hidden when the stolen grain is offered on world markets.
According to an investigative report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, not less than 4 shipments of unlawful grain have docked in Israel this yr. The report added that such deliveries have been ongoing since 2023, with the full quantity reaching over 30.
Following the Haaretz report and the arrival of the Panormitis, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Tuesday summoned the Israeli ambassador in Kyiv to protest what he referred to as “Israel’s lack of appropriate response,” including that it “harmed bilateral relations.”
An Israeli official, talking with NCS on situation of anonymity, mentioned Israel can’t seize the shipments with out due course of, noting there’s an “established mutual legal assistance protocol” in line with which Ukraine’s legal professional basic would wish to submit a authorized help request, provide proof and coordinate with Israeli police to halt the vessel.
A Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman rejected that assertion, telling NCS throughout a press briefing in Kyiv Tuesday that Ukraine had “exhausted all closed channels and official diplomatic requests.”
The spokesman added Israel was not alone in importing unlawful grain, saying Ukraine noticed proof of a “systematic practice” displaying the “deliberate facilitation of illegal economic activity” linked to Russia’s occupation of elements of Ukraine.
The European Union additionally weighed in, requesting further data from Israeli authorities on the matter and warning it might impose sanctions on these concerned as nicely.
“We condemn all actions that help fund Russia’s illegal war effort and circumvent EU sanctions and remain ready to target such actions by listing individuals and entities in third countries if necessary,” an EU spokesman instructed NCS.
Israel-Ukraine relations have been persistently tense since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Israeli leaders have sought to maintain channels open with each Kyiv and Moscow, limiting army help to Ukraine primarily to non-lethal humanitarian help, and rejecting stress to switch Israeli-made weapons methods and arms to Kyiv.
More just lately, Ukraine has positioned itself as a regional safety supplier in the Middle East, providing partnerships and experience in drone protection in specific, after Israel and the United States launched their battle on Iran.
Zelensky himself visited Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Jordan final month, however didn’t make a cease in Israel.
Victora Butenko and Kosta Gak contributed reporting from Kyiv