Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a vessel carrying grain had arrived at an Israeli port and was preparing to unload, calling the trade illegal and warning of sanctions against those involved.
“In any normal country, purchasing stolen goods is an act that entails legal liability,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that Ukraine’s intelligence services were preparing sanctions targeting companies and individuals profiting from the shipments.
“We will also coordinate with European partners to ensure that the relevant individuals are included in European sanctions regimes,” he said.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the country’s tax authority had opened an investigation into a ship expected to dock at Haifa port.
Heorhii Tykhyi, a spokesman for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, said Kyiv had informed Israeli authorities about the vessels in advance. He said more than two had arrived in Israel carrying agricultural products Ukraine described as illegally taken by Russia from occupied Ukrainian land.
Despite this, the cargo continued to reach Israeli ports and enter commercial circulation, the ministry said, accusing Israel of failing to respond to formal requests to detain the vessels and cargo.
