Ukraine has escalated its rhetoric towards Israel in a dispute over alleged grain supplies from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, with President Volodymyr Zelensky warning of sanctions against those involved, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
"In any normal country, purchasing stolen goods is an action that entails legal liability. This applies in particular to grain stolen from Russia," Zelensky wrote on social media today. "We expect the Israeli authorities to respect Ukraine and refrain from actions that undermine our bilateral relations," he added.
According to Zelensky, a cargo ship has transported grain from the occupied Ukrainian regions to Israel for the second time this year and is expected to be unloaded at the port of Haifa.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned Israel's ambassador to Kiev, Mikhail Brodsky, on Monday.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called on Ukraine to provide evidence to support its claims.
According to an investigation by the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz", the shipment would be the fourth such delivery this year. The publication said that such cargoes may have arrived in Israel multiple times since 2023.
Zelensky said that sanctions should target those transporting the grain, as well as "individuals and legal entities who are trying to take advantage of this criminal scheme".
Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion in 2022, now controls about a fifth of Ukraine's territory, DPA reported. The southeast of the country is a key agricultural region due to its fertile black earth soil. Ukraine considers trade in goods from the occupied areas illegal.