Ukraine and Israel traded diplomatic blows on Tuesday as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned what he said were grain purchases from occupied Ukrainian territory "stolen" by Russia and threatened sanctions against those attempting to profit from it.
Kyiv considers all grain produced in the four regions that Russia claims as its own since invading Ukraine in 2022 as well as Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, to be stolen and has protested over its export to other countries.
Russia calls the regions its "new territories", but they are still internationally recognised as Ukrainian. Moscow has not commented on the legal status of grain collected in them.
"Another vessel carrying such grain has arrived at a port in Israel and is preparing to unload," Zelenskiy said on social media, adding: "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," added Zelenskiy.
Ukraine on Tuesday summoned Israel's ambassador over what Kyiv described as Israeli inaction in allowing shipments of grain to enter the country from Russian-occupied Ukraine. Ukraine's foreign ministry said in a statement it handed the ambassador a "note of protest".
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that Kyiv has not provided any evidence for its claims. "The vessel has not entered the port and has yet to submit its documents. It's not possible to verify the truth of the Ukrainian claims," he told a news conference in Jerusalem.
Saar said Ukraine had not submitted any request for legal assistance and rejected what he called "Twitter diplomacy".
"Israel is a state that abides by the rule of law. We say again to our Ukrainian friends, if you have any evidence of theft submit it through the appropriate channels," he said.
Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi told reporters that Kyiv has provided "extensive information and proof" that the cargo was illegal before going public.
The foreign ministry published a timeline of its actions and contacts with Israeli authorities. "We will not allow any country in any geography to facilitate illegal trade with a stolen grain that finances our enemy," Tykhyi said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Tuesday, saying Russia would not get involved. "Let the Kyiv regime deal with Israel on its own," he said.
Traders have told Reuters that it is impossible to track the origin of wheat once it is mixed.
Anouar El Anouni, EU foreign affairs spokesperson, said the bloc had taken note of reports that a "Russian shadow fleet vessel" carrying stolen grain had been allowed to dock at Haifa. He said the European Commission had approached Israel's foreign ministry on the issue.
"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.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine was preparing a sanctions package against those transporting the grain and the individuals and legal entities attempting to profit from the scheme.
Zelenskiy said Kyiv has taken, "all necessary steps through diplomatic channels", but the ship had not been stopped. "Russia is systematically seizing grain on temporarily occupied Ukrainian land and organising its export through individuals linked to the occupiers," Zelenskiy said.
"Such schemes violate the laws of the State of Israel itself," he added. Ukraine expected Israel to respect Ukraine and refrain from actions that undermine bilateral relations, he added.
(Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka, additional reporting by the Moscow bureau and Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Alexander Smith)