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World
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said Monday that the ministry summoned Tel Aviv's ambassador due to what he described as Israel's "laxity" after a shipment arrived at Haifa port carrying Ukrainian grain "stolen" by Russia.
The Hebrew newspaper Haaretz had reported earlier that the ship "Panoramitis," which it said was carrying grain from occupied Ukrainian territories, was awaiting permission to dock in Haifa.
The Hebrew newspaper indicated that 4 grain shipments from occupied Ukrainian territories had been unloaded in Israel this year.
Sybiha wrote in an English-language post on X that "the friendly relations between Ukraine and Israel have the potential to benefit both countries, and Russian illegal trade in stolen Ukrainian grain should not undermine these relations."
The Ukrainian minister added: "It is hard to understand Israel's failure to respond appropriately to Ukraine's legitimate request regarding the previous vessel that transported stolen goods to Haifa."
He added: "Now that another similar vessel has arrived in Haifa, we once again warn Israel against accepting stolen grain and damaging our relations," and "in this context, we have formally summoned the Israeli ambassador to present our protest note and demand appropriate action."
In contrast, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Ukraine had presented no evidence to support claims that the grain was "stolen," and accused Sybiha of practicing diplomacy through the media.
In his response to the Ukrainian minister, who also posted on X, Sa'ar said the matter would be examined, but that allegations are not evidence, and that no evidence had been provided.
He added: "You haven't even submitted a request for legal assistance before resorting to the media and social networks," noting that "diplomatic relations are not managed via Twitter or the media."
A Ukrainian diplomatic source had said earlier that if Israel did not reject the latest shipment, Kiev "reserves its right to take all diplomatic and international legal measures."
The source added that Kiev was monitoring the latest vessel and that Israel had "essentially ignored" Kiev's previous demands.
