Ukraine's Zelenskyy rebukes Israel for buying grain 'stolen' by Russia

Ukraine's president on Tuesday criticized Israel for allegedly purchasing grain "stolen" by Russia, which occupies large areas of Ukrainian farmland amid its invasion. 

Ukraine first summoned Israel's ambassador on Monday, with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha bemoaning what he called Israeli inaction in allowing shipments to enter Israel carrying foodstuffs from occupied Ukrainian territory. 

Both Russia and Ukraine are major agricultural exporters, with Russia the most prolific wheat-exporting country in the world and Ukraine also comfortably in the top 10, according to UN Food and Agriculture Organization data from 2023.

What did Zelenskyy say about the alleged deliveries from Russia? 

"Another vessel carrying such grain has arrived at a port in Israel and is preparing to unload," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said online on Tuesday. "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," Zelenskyy said.  

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sarr had previously told his Ukrainian counterpart Sybiha that Kyiv had not provided evidence to support its allegation that the grain was stolen. He also said that such diplomacy should not be conducted online or through the media, "especially between friendly nations." 

How did Russia respond to the case? 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday declined to comment on the matter, saying it was for the two countries to resolve. 

"We would rather not comment on this in any way or get involved in this matter," he told journalists during a briefing in Moscow. 

Kyiv considers all grain produced in its occupied regions — both the land seized since Russia's full-scale 2022 invasion and from Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014 — to have been stolen by Moscow. 

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Russia refers to the four regions it annexed since 2022 as its "new territories," but they are still internationally recognized as Ukrainian. 

Zelenskyy said that Russia was "systematically seizing grain on temporarily occupied Ukrainian land and organizing its export through individuals linked to the occupiers." He said that such schemes also violated Israeli laws.

He said that his government was preparing a "relevant sanctions package" to target both those transporting the grain and those "attempting to profit from this criminal scheme."

EU 'ready' to sanction Israeli entities

The European Union has approached the Israeli Foreign Ministry and warned it is "ready" to respond with sanctions.

"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," EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni told DW's Rosie Birchard

"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," he said.

El Anouni said the EU had "approached the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the issue."

The EU's executive has the power to propose targeted sanctions, but all 27 states must sign off on any final measures. The unanimous voting system has resulted in delays and blocks to sanctions against both Israeli and Russian entities in the past.

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Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru