Israel and Ukraine clash over arrival of ship reportedly carrying grain from Russian-occupied territories

Peloni:  It seems that Zelensky will never end his attempts to denigrate Israel in his attempts to involve the Jewish State in Iran’s war with Russia.  Meanwhile the EU is threatening sanctions.  Of course, there are better ways to manage diplomacy than via Twitter, but if anything has been learned from the Ukraine war, it is that neither Ukraine or Europe have any interest in diplomacy.

EU threatens sanctions over transactions involving ‘all actions that help fund Russia’s illegal war effort’

All Israel News Staff | Published: April 28, 2026

Israeli foreign minister visits Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian counterpart. July 23, 2025. Screengrab via Youtube

Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha, and his Israeli colleague Gideon Sa’ar have engaged in a public spat after a second vessel, alleged to be carrying grain from Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine, was spotted moving towards the Israeli port of Haifa.

Earlier this month, tensions between the governments had risen after Ukraine complained that the Russian cargo ship ABINSK was allowed to unload around 44,000 tons of wheat taken from Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia during the current war.

On Monday, Sybiha posted a note to social media, stating, “Friendly Ukrainian-Israeli relations have the potential to benefit both countries, and Russia’s illegal trade with stolen Ukrainian grain should not undermine them.”

Saying that “It is difficult to understand Israel’s lack of appropriate response to Ukraine’s legitimate request regarding the previous vessel that delivered stolen goods to Haifa,” Sybiha noted that the Ukrainian government had summoned Israeli Ambassador Michael Brodsky to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the issue.

Shortly afterwards, Minister Sa’ar responded on ?, writing that “Diplomatic relations, especially between friendly nations, are not conducted on Twitter or in the media.” 

Sa’ar also appeared to accuse the Ukrainian government of failing to provide sufficient evidence for its claims, writing, “Allegations are not evidence. Evidence substantiating the allegations have yet to be provided.” 

He further said that Sybiha “did not even submit a request for legal assistance before turning to the media and social networks.” 

After the first incident two weeks ago, Sybiha said that he held a phone call with Minister Sa’ar, with Israel later saying the legal request to halt the vessel, along with evidence for its carrying illegal grain, was only provided after the vessel already left Haifa, a claim which the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied. 

In the current incident, involving a ship called PANORMITIS, Ukrainian officials said allowing the ship to dock could trigger a serious bilateral consequences between the countries.

According to Ukrainian investigator Kateryna Yaresko, PANORMITIS is carrying around 6,200 tons of wheat and over 19,000 tons of barley. She said the cargo was loaded at the Russian port of Kavkaz through ship-to-ship transfers.

She shared an image of the vessel waiting off the coast of Haifa for permission to dock.

After several Ukrainian accounts on ? blasted Minister Sa’ar and Israel for not taking action to stop the grain sales, accusing Israel of supporting Russia, despite Russia aiding and supporting Iran, several Israeli accounts responded by pointing out that Ukraine has consistently voted against Israel at the United Nations, and noting the long history of antisemitism in the country. 

On Sunday, Israeli news agency Haaretz published an investigative report alleging that Israel has been importing grain from the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine since 2023. It claimed to have obtained internal logs kept by Russian authorities in occupied Ukrainian ports, showing that over 30 vessels carrying “stolen goods” have arrived in Israel since the start of the Ukraine war.

Ukraine, which has long been called “the breadbasket of Europe,” has regularly provided grain to Israel and many other Middle Eastern nations. However, after the initial Russian seizure of Ukrainian territory in 2022, including Kherson and Zaporozhye, the country has alleged that Russia has been confiscating the produce from these territories, and forcing farmers there to sell through Russia.

Ukraine is trying to prevent the sale of such goods, alleging they grain is stolen. The country alleges that purchasing such grain amounts to funding the Russian war effort, a view supported by the European Union.

On Monday evening, the European Union warned that anyone engaging in transactions of stolen Ukrainian grain could face EU sanctions. 

“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,” an EU spokesperson said in a statement to the Times of Israel.

“In a joint démarche with Ukraine, we are requesting additional information from the Israeli authorities on this subject.”