Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky threatened Israel with sanctions after a ship carrying what he claims is stolen grain arrived at an Israeli port.
“Buying stolen goods in all normal countries is an action that carries legal liability,” Zelensky said. “This applies, in particular, to grain stolen by Russia. Another vessel with such grain has arrived at an Israeli port and is preparing to unload. This cannot be clean business.”
Zelensky said Israeli authorities cannot be unaware of which ships and what cargo arrive at the country’s ports. He accused Russia of systematically seizing grain from temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory and organizing its export through people connected to the occupiers.
“Such transactions violate the legislation of the State of Israel itself,” he said. “Ukraine has taken all necessary steps through diplomatic channels to prevent such incidents. Nevertheless, we see that another such vessel has not been stopped.”
The Ukrainian president said he’s directed his foreign ministry to inform all of Ukraine’s partner countries about the situation. “Ukraine, based on information from our intelligence services, is preparing an appropriate sanctions package that will cover both those who directly transport this grain and those individuals and legal entities trying to profit from such a criminal scheme,” he said.
Zelensky added that Ukraine will coordinate with European partners to ensure the relevant individuals are included in European sanctions regimes.
“Ukraine relies on partnership and mutual respect with every country,” he said. “We act honestly to improve security, including in the Middle East region. We expect the Israeli authorities to respect Ukraine and refrain from taking steps that weaken bilateral relations.”