A foreign ship’s arrival at an Israeli port has sparked a frenzy as Europe and Ukraine accuse Tel Aviv of illicitly buying Russian grains.
A vessel known as the Panormitis, operating under a Panamanian flag, arrived in Haifa this week with 19,000 tons of barley and 6,200 tons of wheat. Ukraine is claiming that those cereals are Russian exports, grown on occupied Ukrainian land and shipped out by Russian collaborators. They previously alleged that a Russian ship unloaded similarly illicit cargo at Haifa earlier this month.
Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha warned on social media that Israel has failed to offer an “appropriate response” to Ukrainian inquiries “regarding the previous vessel that delivered stolen goods to Haifa.”
“Now that another such vessel has arrived in Haifa, we once again warn Israel against accepting the stolen grain and harming our relations,” Sybiha said, referring to the Panormitis.
The foreign minister said he summoned the Israeli ambassador for a meeting over the alleged purchase of illicit Russian goods.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar expressed frustration with his Ukrainian counterpart airing the issue on social platforms, saying that “diplomatic relations, especially between friendly nations, are not conducted on Twitter or in the media.”
Sa’ar maintained that “no proof has been offered to substantiate the Ukrainian accusations” and Kyiv “did not even submit a request for legal assistance before turning to the media and social networks.”
“Allegations are not evidence,” the Israeli foreign minister said. “The matter will be examined.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky weighed in on the situation Tuesday with a lengthy statement claiming that Israel “cannot be unaware of which ships are arriving at the country’s ports and what cargo they are carrying.”
Kyiv is now “preparing a relevant sanctions package” that will slap penalties not only on those bringing the grains to market, but also “individuals and legal entities attempting to profit from this criminal scheme.”
Ukraine is not making the accusations alone. The European Union seems to be backing its Eastern European ally’s discontent.
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A European Commission spokesperson said Tuesday that the alliance “has taken note of the reports that a Russian shadow fleet vessel carrying stolen Ukrainian grain has been allowed to unload at Haifa port in Israel.”
The EU condemned all actions that circumvent international sanctions and profit the Russian war effort, threatening to “target such actions by listing individuals and entities in third countries if necessary.”
The alliance has directly contacted the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs with their concerns.