Zelenskyy Threatens Sanctions Against Israel Over Grain Shipments From Crimea

Ukraine and Israel erupted into a public diplomatic dispute over grain shipments that Kyiv says were “stolen” from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying the trade is “not — and cannot be — legitimate business.”

Zelenskyy pointed to what he said was “a vessel preparing to unload the shipments at an Israeli port,” and he added that “The Israeli authorities cannot be unaware of which ships are arriving at the country’s ports and what cargo they are carrying.”

Al Jazeera

In Kyiv’s account, the dispute centers on the vessel Panormitis, which Ukraine named as the ship at the center of Tuesday’s firestorm, and which NBC News tracked using MarineTraffic data from Kerch to Haifa and then to Russia.

NBC News reported that MarineTraffic tracked the Russian-flagged Abinsk from the occupied Crimean port of Kerch on March 17 to Haifa on April 12, and that Abinsk left Haifa on April 15 and arrived at the port of Kavkaz in southern Russia on April 22.

NBC News also reported that the Panama-flagged Panormitis left Russia’s Kavkaz port April 11 and arrived at Haifa on April 25, and that it was “currently drifting in the area of Haifa Bay.”

Ukraine’s top prosecutor, Ruslan Kravchenko, told Reuters that the vessel Panormitis was headed to Haifa with grain “some of which was shipped” from Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, and he said the grain had earlier been loaded from another vessel.

Israel, for its part, rejected the allegations and said it was checking facts, with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar saying on X that “Evidence substantiating the allegations have yet to be provided.”

As the dispute escalated, Ukraine moved from public accusations to a formal demand that Israel seize the vessel it says is carrying stolen grain, with Ukraine’s prosecutor general Ruslan Kravchenko saying Kyiv was asking “its Israeli partners to seize the vessel and its cargo, conduct a search, seize the vessel’s and cargo documentation, take grain samples, and question the crew members.”

Kravchenko said the request concerned Panormitis, which he described as headed to Haifa with grain “some of which was shipped” from Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, and he said the grain had earlier been loaded from another vessel.

Al Jazeera

The Guardian reported that Ukraine’s foreign ministry said that since March it had also raised concerns with Israel about another vessel, the Abinsk, which Kyiv said was allegedly carrying stolen grain, and that Abinsk was allowed to unload and depart despite objections.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar pushed back, accusing Kyiv of “Twitter diplomacy,” and he wrote on X on Wednesday that “One would expect the submission of a legal request before Tweeting. You chose differently, for your own reasons,” adding that “The request is now being examined by the relevant authorities.”

In NBC News’ account, the Israeli Foreign Ministry sent a statement from Sa’ar rejecting what it called “Twitter diplomacy,” saying Israel was checking the facts and looking into the matter, and that the vessel had not entered the port and was yet to submit its documents.

NBC News also reported that Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said “Ukraine has provided to the Israeli side extensive information and proof and all the data that is necessary to understand that this cargo is illegal,” while Tykhyi stressed “we are not talking about two ships, two vessels. There were more than that.”

The BBC described Saar’s position at a news conference, saying the vessel in question “had not yet entered Haifa port and had yet to submit its documents,” and that “The Ukrainian government has not submitted a request for legal assistance. It has submitted tweets.”

The grain dispute did not begin with Panormitis, and multiple outlets described a prior incident involving Abinsk that Kyiv says Israel allowed to proceed despite Ukrainian requests.

NBC News reported that Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said that earlier this month, a ship called ABINSK entered the Haifa port with wheat cargo from Russian-occupied territory, and Kyiv said it alerted Israeli authorities but the vessel was allowed to unload its cargo and leave Haifa in mid-April.

The Guardian similarly said Ukraine’s foreign ministry raised concerns with Israel about Abinsk “since March,” and that the ship was allowed to unload and depart despite Kyiv’s objections.

Al Jazeera reported that Ukraine and Israel traded accusations a day earlier, with Ukraine saying it had repeatedly urged Israel via diplomatic channels to take measures regarding the vessel.

NBC News added that Ukraine’s response reflected its efforts to stop the Kremlin funding its war effort by exploiting territory seized in its invasion, and it tied the dispute to broader efforts to counter Russia’s “shadow fleet” operations.

In NBC News’ account, Ukraine said the Abinsk ship was part of a “shadow fleet” that helps prop up the Kremlin’s war economy by shipping products for countries facing international sanctions, often by concealing or spoofing location data.

The BBC described the diplomatic row as breaking out after Zelenskyy said “another vessel” carrying grain “stolen by Russia” had arrived at a port in Israel and was preparing to unload, and it noted that another vessel with a suspected cargo reached Haifa Bay on Sunday morning and was waiting its turn to enter the port.

The dispute repeatedly turned on whether Kyiv provided evidence through appropriate channels, and multiple outlets captured the clash between Ukrainian and Israeli officials.

Zelenskyy said “The Israeli authorities cannot be unaware” of what ships are carrying, and he warned that Ukraine was preparing a sanctions package in coordination with European partners against those attempting to profit from what he called a “criminal scheme.”

AP News

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X that “Friendly Ukrainian-Israeli relations have the potential to benefit both countries, and Russia’s illegal trade with stolen Ukrainian grain should not undermine them,” and he said it was “difficult to understand Israel’s lack of appropriate response" to previous Ukrainian complaints.

Israel’s Gideon Saar responded quickly on X, slamming Sybiha for conducting diplomacy on social media, saying “Evidence substantiating the allegations have yet to be provided. You did not even submit a request for legal assistance before turning to the media and social networks.”

The BBC described Saar’s position in a news conference with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric, where Saar said “Such schemes violate the laws of the State of Israel itself,” and he added that “If you have any evidence of theft, submit it through the appropriate channels.”

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi told a news briefing that “Ukraine has provided to the Israeli side extensive information and proof and all the data that is necessary to understand that this cargo is illegal,” and he stressed “we are not talking about two ships, two vessels. There were more than that.”

In parallel, the EU’s foreign affairs spokesperson Anouar El Anouni told the BBC that the bloc had “taken note of the reports that a Russian shadow fleet vessel carrying stolen Ukrainian grain has been allowed to unload at Haifa port in Israel,” while saying the EU “condemn[s] all actions that help fund Russia’s illegal war effort.”

Beyond the immediate question of whether Israel will seize Panormitis, the sources describe a broader sanctions and enforcement push that Ukraine says it will coordinate with Europe.

NBC News reported that Zelenskyy said Kyiv was preparing a sanctions package in coordination with its European partners against those attempting to profit from the “criminal scheme,” and it also quoted Sybiha saying it was “difficult to understand Israel’s lack of appropriate response" to previous Ukrainian complaints.

BBC

The BBC reported that the president said Ukraine was preparing a “relevant sanctions package” with European countries to cover those transporting the grain and profiting from its sale, and it described the EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni saying the bloc was ready to target individuals and entities in third countries if necessary.

The Guardian reported that an EU spokesperson told Haaretz that the bloc was mulling sanctions on Israeli individuals and entities aiding Russia, and it quoted El Anouni saying the EU “has taken note of the reports that a Russian shadow fleet vessel carrying stolen Ukrainian grain has been allowed to unload at Haifa port in Israel.”

In a separate detail, TVP World and the Kyiv Independent both described Panormitis as a Panama-flagged bulk carrier arriving at Haifa Bay earlier in the week, with TVP World adding that it was “reportedly transporting more than 6,200 tons of wheat and 19,000 tons of barley.”

Politico.eu described Ukraine’s request as a formal petition submitted by the Prosecutor General’s Office on Tuesday, and it quoted Kravchenko saying the investigators documented “the facts of the vessel’s illegal entry into closed ports of Ukraine.”

Looking ahead, Al Jazeera said Saar wrote that the request was being examined by relevant authorities, while NBC News said Israel’s statement claimed the vessel had not entered the port and was yet to submit its documents.