Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Israel’s purchase of grain from Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia violates Israeli law, escalating tensions between Kyiv and Jerusalem over the arrival of a Russian grain ship at Haifa Port.
He said Israel’s purchase of grain “stolen” by Russia from occupied Ukraine “cannot be legitimate business.”
Zelenskyy also said Ukraine is preparing a sanctions package against those directly transporting and profiting from what Kyiv describes as “stolen” Ukrainian grain.
The dispute comes after a Russian grain ship docked at Haifa Port, with Ukraine claiming the wheat on board was stolen by Russia from occupied Ukrainian territory. The affair prompted a public exchange between Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, after Kyiv warned Israel against accepting the cargo and summoned Israel’s ambassador for a formal protest.
Sybiha sharply criticized Israel’s handling of the issue, saying Russia’s trade in what Ukraine describes as stolen grain should not damage relations between Jerusalem and Kyiv. He said Ukraine had previously raised the matter with Israel and was struggling to understand what he called the lack of an appropriate response.
Sa’ar rejected the criticism and pushed back against Ukraine’s decision to raise the issue publicly.
“Diplomatic relations, especially between friendly countries, are not conducted on Twitter or in the media,” Sa’ar said, referring to a Haaretz investigation on the matter. He added that “claims are not evidence.”
Sa’ar said Ukraine had not provided substantiated proof for its claims and had not filed an official request for legal assistance before taking the issue public. He said Israel would examine the matter, adding that it is a state governed by the rule of law and that its independent enforcement authorities would act according to the law.
According to tracking data cited by the Ukrainian project Myrotvorets, the Russian cargo ship Abinsk arrived at Haifa Port on April 12 carrying 43,765 tons of wheat. Ukraine claims the wheat came from territories occupied by Russia.
Ukrainian researcher Yekaterina Yarsko said the vessel sailed from Kerch in Russian-occupied Crimea on March 17, waited outside the port from March 23 and was cleared for unloading in Haifa on April 12.
The affair comes as Ukraine continues to accuse Russia of systematically taking agricultural resources from occupied areas since the start of the invasion and selling them on international markets through third countries.
According to Ukrainian intelligence estimates cited in the report, Russia exported more than 2 million tons of grain from temporarily occupied territories in 2025, worth about $400 million. Buyers included countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Ukraine says Russia continues to move large quantities of grain from occupied Ukrainian fields. It cited a March 13 shipment to Latakia, Syria, carrying 27,500 tons of wheat, and another ship, ZAID, carrying 35,000 tons of wheat, now heading to Turkey after Egypt reportedly refused to accept the cargo.
According to Ukraine, Iran is one of the main buyers of grain from occupied territories. Kyiv says Moscow and Tehran have established a trade route through the Caspian Sea, with Iran supplying weapons for Russia’s war effort in exchange for grain.
The first report of grain that Ukraine says was stolen reaching Israel came in September 2024, in a case involving a businessman from Crimea with ties to Israel. After diplomatic steps by Ukraine, Jerusalem stopped the purchases, according to the report.
Ukraine says the latest case is the first in which Ukrainian wheat allegedly arrived directly and openly from Crimea to Israel.