EU warns of sanctions over shipments of stolen Ukrainian grain to Israel
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The EU has warned Israel it was ready to sanction those involved in illegal shipments of grain stolen from occupied Ukrainian territories, Euronews reported on April 28, citing a European Commission spokesperson.
The news comes amid a diplomatic row between Ukraine and Israel over a vessel arriving at the Haifa port, allegedly carrying crops that Russia looted in the occupied territories.
"We condemn all actions that help fund Russia's illegal war effort and circumvent EU sanctions, and remain ready to target such actions by listing individuals and entities in third countries if necessary," the spokesperson said, according to Euronews.
The EU has raised the issue with the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the spokesperson said.
Panama-flagged bulk carrier Panormitis, reportedly transporting over 6,200 tons of wheat and 19,000 tons of barley, arrived at the Haifa Bay earlier this week.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has warned Israel not to allow it to dock and unload its cargo or risk diplomatic repercussions.
Another vessel allegedly carrying stolen Ukrainian wheat, the Russian bulk carrier Abinsk, unloaded its cargo in Haifa earlier in April.
Ukraine has accused Israel of permitting trade in stolen Ukrainian goods, saying it has repeatedly ignored Kyiv's requests to intervene.
"Purchasing stolen goods in all normal countries is an act that entails legal liability," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
According to the president, Ukraine is preparing sanctions "that will cover both those who directly transport this grain and those individuals and legal entities who try to profit from such a criminal scheme."
"We will also coordinate with European partners so that the relevant individuals are included in the European sanctions regimes," he added.
The Israeli Ambassador in Kyiv, Michael Brodsky, was summoned to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on April 28, where he was handed a protest note.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar pushed back against Kyiv's accusations, claiming Ukraine has not provided sufficient evidence — a claim the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry rejected.
An investigation by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz found that at least four shipments of stolen Ukrainian grain have already been unloaded in Israel this year.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi confirmed on April 28 that Kyiv is aware of additional cases of illegal shipments beyond Abinsk and Panormitis, and that Israel has been notified of all of them.
According to Kyiv, Russia has been systematically seizing grain from territories under its occupation and arranging its export through networks tied to the occupying administration.
These operations, Ukraine maintains, violate not only international norms but also the domestic laws of countries that receive such cargo.
Ukrainian officials stress that Israel, like any state with functioning port controls, is fully capable of identifying both the vessels docking at its harbors and the nature of their shipments.
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The Kyiv Independent news desk
Tim Zadorozhnyy
