Israel's ambassador handed protest note over arrival of ships with stolen Ukrainian grain – MFA

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine summoned Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to Ukraine Michael Brodsky on Tuesday, April 28, to hand him a note of protest.

According to the MFA press service, the move follows comments by ministry spokesperson Heorhiy Tykhyi regarding the ongoing arrival in Israel of agricultural products illegally exported by Russia from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian side emphasized that the origin of this grain has been accurately established, and the schemes for concealing it, including ship-to-ship transfers in the Black Sea, are well known to Israeli competent authorities. Despite this, such cargo continues to enter Israeli ports and enter commercial circulation, the comment reads.

The MFA highlighted that Israel's disregard for official appeals and requests for international legal assistance, including requests to detain vessels and cargo, effectively creates conditions for the legalization of stolen Ukrainian grain. The ministry stated this is not an isolated incident but a systemic practice showing signs of deliberate assistance in illegal economic activity and sanctions evasion.

The Ukrainian side also drew attention to the unacceptable dissonance where, against the backdrop of Ukraine's support for Israel's security and efforts to counter terrorist threats, particularly those related to Iran, Israel effectively allows the import of stolen Ukrainian grain from Russia, the report says.

The timeline of diplomatic friction includes a March 23 meeting where Ukraine's ambassador to Israel handed a note regarding the vessel "ABINSK" and its cargo of stolen grain. In mid-April, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha appealed to his Israeli counterpart to reject the cargo, and Ukrainian authorities provided Israel with a Prosecutor General's Office request for legal assistance alongside a court order to seize the vessel. However, Israel completed the unloading of the "ABINSK" on April 15 and allowed it to depart despite Ukraine's requests.

On April 20, Israel's MFA responded formally, stating it did not plan to take measures to stop the trade or seize cargo, citing formal denials that the ship had left and claiming insufficient evidence. On April 25, Ukraine informed Israel of another vessel, the "PANORMITIS," approaching Haifa with grain from occupied territories, but the information was ignored. As of April 27, the "PANORMITIS" remains at the Haifa roads awaiting unloading, prompting the formal note of protest delivered to Ambassador Brodsky on Tuesday morning.

Ukraine demands that the Israeli side take immediate measures to stop the import of stolen grain and prevent its unloading in Israeli ports.