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Grain dispute escalates
Ukraine and Israel have clashed over shipments of grain Kyiv says were stolen from Ukrainian lands occupied by Russia, with the dispute centered on the Haifa port.
“to present our protest memorandum and demand appropriate action”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the Israeli ambassador was summoned in Kyiv “to present our protest memorandum and demand appropriate action,” after another ship arrived in Haifa carrying what Kyiv described as stolen goods.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responded that “diplomatic relations, especially between friendly states, are not managed via Twitter (X) or media outlets,” and said Ukraine had not provided evidence or a formal request for legal assistance.
The confrontation unfolded as Zelensky accused Israel of “knowingly allowing the unloading of stolen grain shipments from Russia at Israeli ports,” and threatened to “impose sanctions” on any party involved.
Competing claims and threats
In the diplomatic fight, Ukraine framed the issue as an ongoing pattern tied to Russia’s occupation, while Israel disputed the evidentiary basis and criticized Kyiv’s approach.
Zelensky wrote on X that “In any civilized country, buying stolen goods is an act that carries legal responsibility,” and warned that “The authorities in Israel cannot be unaware of any ships arriving at the state's ports and any cargo they carry.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar told CNN that the claim lacked proof, and he accused Ukraine of “Twitter diplomacy,” while an Israeli official said Israel “cannot seize the shipments without following the proper legal procedures.”
A Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson rejected that, telling CNN that Ukraine “has exhausted all closed channels and formal diplomatic requests,” and added that Israel “is not the only country that imports grain illegally.”
What comes next
The dispute is now tied to potential sanctions and broader diplomatic consequences between Kyiv and Tel Aviv, with multiple sources describing escalation beyond statements.
“remain[s] ready to target these activities by listing individuals and entities in third countries on sanctions lists if necessary”
CNN reported that the European Union intervened, with an EU spokesman saying, “We condemn all actions that contribute to financing the Russian war effort and circumvent EU sanctions,” and that the bloc “remain[s] ready to target these activities by listing individuals and entities in third countries on sanctions lists if necessary.”
In parallel, Ukraine’s threat of a sanctions package was explicit in i24NEWS, where Zelensky said, “We are preparing a package of sanctions against everyone who trades in stolen Ukrainian grain.”
Ukraine’s diplomatic pressure also included a reprimand session, as Al Jazeera Net said Kyiv summoned Israeli ambassador Mikhail Brodsky “to a morning reprimand session on Tuesday,” warning that “Kyiv will take all diplomatic and international legal measures against Israel.”
