Ukraine has lodged a note of protest with Israel over the stolen grain
This was announced by Georgiy Tykhyi, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On 28 April, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Israeli Ambassador Michael Brodsky and handed him a note of protest.
The reason was the arrival in Israel of agricultural products that Russia had illegally exported from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
Ukraine demands that the Israeli side take immediate measures to halt the import of grain stolen by Russia and prevent its unloading at Israeli ports.
According to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhiy Tykhyi, the Ukrainian side emphasised that the origin of this grain has been conclusively established.
Kyiv also stated that schemes to conceal the origin of the produce, in particular ‘ship-to-ship’ transhipments in the Black Sea, are well known, including to the relevant Israeli authorities.
Despite this, according to the Foreign Ministry, such cargoes continue to arrive at Israeli ports and enter commercial circulation.
“The Ukrainian side emphasised that the origin of this grain has been definitively established, and the schemes used to conceal it, in particular ‘ship-to-ship’ transhipments in the Black Sea, are well known, including to the competent Israeli authorities. Despite this, the relevant cargoes continue to arrive at Israeli ports and enter commercial circulation,” Tykhyi stated.
The Foreign Ministry separately emphasised that the Israeli side’s disregard for Ukraine’s official appeals and requests for international legal assistance creates conditions for the legalisation of stolen Ukrainian grain.
This refers, in particular, to Kyiv’s request to detain the relevant vessels and cargoes.
According to Tykhyi, Ukraine does not regard such cases as isolated incidents.
The Foreign Ministry stated that this is a systematic practice which bears the hallmarks of deliberate facilitation of illegal economic activity linked to the temporary occupation of Ukrainian territories, as well as the circumvention of sanctions.
At the same time, the ministry emphasised that this is not just about Israel.
The Ukrainian side systematically responds to and counters such activities by Russia across all regions.
Kyiv also drew attention to an “unacceptable discrepancy”. The Foreign Ministry noted that Ukraine supports Israel’s security and decisions to counter terrorist threats, particularly those linked to Iran, whilst Jerusalem effectively permits the import of stolen Ukrainian grain.
“In this regard, Ukraine demands that the Israeli side take immediate measures to halt the import of stolen grain and prevent its unloading at Israeli ports,” added the Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry had summoned the Israeli ambassador to hand over a note of protest over the arrival at the port of Haifa of a vessel carrying a consignment of grain that may have been taken by Russia from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
In response, the Israeli side stated that it was investigating the allegations.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar noted that the matter was being addressed through diplomatic channels. He also stated that “the necessary evidence has not yet been provided”, whilst confirming contacts with the Ukrainian side.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Ukraine is preparing a package of sanctions against individuals and legal entities involved in the transport and profiteering from deals involving stolen Ukrainian grain.
This is the second such incident. On 15 April, Ukraine also approached Israel regarding another vessel that had delivered grain to Haifa.
At the time, the Israeli side replied that it was too late to detain the Russian vessel, as it had already left the port. It was
also reported that the EU is considering sanctions against Israelis involved in the transport of stolen Ukrainian grain.
As reported by ThePublic, Kyiv stated that a Russian vessel carrying Ukrainian grain had entered the port of Haifa. The Ukrainian side is asking Israel not to allow it to leave the port.
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