Ukraine’s president accused Israel of accepting grain taken from Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation, summoning Israel’s ambassador after Kyiv complained that shipments from occupied regions were allowed into Israeli ports. Both Russia and Ukraine are major agricultural exporters; Russia is the world’s largest wheat exporter and Ukraine ranks among the top 10 globally, according to 2023 UN FAO data.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said another vessel carrying such grain had arrived at an Israeli port and was preparing to unload, calling such trade illegitimate and saying Israeli authorities should know what ships and cargo enter their ports. Kyiv views all grain produced in areas occupied since Russia’s full-scale 2022 invasion, as well as in Crimea (annexed in 2014), as stolen by Moscow.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told his Ukrainian counterpart that Kyiv had not supplied evidence proving the grain was stolen and urged that disputes between friendly countries not be aired online or in the media. The Kremlin declined to comment directly, with a spokesman saying the issue should be resolved between the two nations.
Zelenskyy accused Russia of systematically seizing grain from temporarily occupied Ukrainian land and arranging exports through intermediaries tied to the occupiers, actions he said also violate Israeli law. He said Ukraine is preparing sanctions targeting those involved in transporting and profiting from what he described as a criminal scheme.
The European Union has contacted Israel and warned it is ready to impose measures. An EU foreign affairs spokesperson said Brussels had noted reports that a vessel linked to a Russian “shadow fleet” carrying stolen Ukrainian grain was allowed to unload at Haifa, condemned actions that could help fund Russia’s war or circumvent EU sanctions, and said it stands prepared to list individuals and entities in third countries if necessary. Any formal EU sanctions would require unanimous approval by all 27 member states, a process that has previously delayed or blocked measures.
The row highlights tensions over wartime looting and the difficulty of policing global grain trade amid the conflict in Ukraine.