Ukraine accuses Israel of importing grain ‘stolen’ by Russia: NPR

KIEV, Ukraine – Ukraine accused Israel on Tuesday of allowing the import of grain it says Russia stole from the occupied territories, sparking a sharp clash between officials.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a ship carrying grain had arrived at an Israeli port and was preparing to unload the grain, calling the trade illegal and warning of sanctions against those involved.

Israel claimed that the ship had not entered port and had not yet submitted its documents. The MarineTraffic.com maritime tracking website revealed that the ship had been in Haifa for several days.

“In any normal country, buying stolen goods is an act that involves legal liability,” Zelensky wrote on X, adding that Ukraine’s intelligence services were preparing sanctions targeting companies and individuals profiting from the shipments.

“We will also coordinate with European partners to ensure that the individuals concerned are included in European sanctions regimes,” he said.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the country’s tax authority has begun investigating a ship that docked at Haifa port.

Saar dismissed Zelensky’s comments as “Twitter diplomacy”, telling a press conference in Jerusalem that Ukraine had not provided sufficient information or requested legal assistance.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhyi said Kiev had already informed Israeli authorities about the ships. He said more than two had arrived in Israel carrying agricultural products that Ukraine said were illegally taken by Russia from Ukrainian-occupied lands.

The ministry said it had summoned Israel’s Ambassador Michael Brodsky and handed him a note of protest over the continued flow of such shipments. It said the origin of the grain had been established and methods of concealment, including ship-to-ship transfer in the Black Sea, were well known.

Despite this, goods continued to reach Israeli ports and enter commercial circulation, with the ministry accusing Israel of failing to respond to formal requests to detain the ships and cargo.

Kiev described the issue as systemic rather than isolated, and urged Israel to stop imports, saying it included theft of Ukrainian grain, warning that the situation was undermining bilateral relations.