Ukraine summons Israeli ambassador over ‘stolen’ grain shipments

Ukraine is preparing a sanctions package against those accused of transporting grain out of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, shortly after Ukraine summoned the Israeli ambassador for allegedly accepting such shipments.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in a Telegram statement Tuesday that a shipment of Ukrainian grain had arrived at an Israeli port, claiming that “such transactions violate the legislation of the State of Israel itself”.

“This is not and cannot be pure business. The Israeli authorities cannot fail to know which ships and with what cargo arrive at the country’s ports,” he said.

His statement followed an X post from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha Monday evening, saying that a second vessel delivering “stolen goods” had docked in Haifa.

“Friendly Ukrainian-Israeli relations have the potential to benefit both countries, and Russia’s illegal trade with stolen Ukrainian grain should not undermine them,” Sybiha said.

The Israeli ambassador was asked to appear at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday morning so that Kyiv could “present our protest note and request appropriate action”, the minister added.

In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar chided Sybiha for “turning to the media and social networks” and said “allegations are not evidence”.

“Diplomatic relations, especially between friendly nations, are not conducted on Twitter or in the media,” he wrote on X.

Zelenskyy, for his part, said that Ukraine had “taken all necessary steps through diplomatic channels to prevent such incidents”.

Russia currently occupies about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory. Kyiv has previously sanctioned individuals and businesses cooperating with Russian forces there.

The Ukrainian president said new sanctions would target “those who directly transport this grain, and those individuals and legal entities who are trying to profit from such a criminal scheme”.

Ukraine will coordinate with European partners to ensure that their sanctions include “the relevant individuals”, he added.

Intensifying strikes against Russian oil

The diplomatic quarrel occurred as Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s Tuapse oil refinery in the Black Sea, triggering a huge blaze and evacuations.

Veniamin Kondratiev, governor of Russia’s Krasnodar region, wrote on Telegram on Tuesday morning that more than 160 people were fighting a “massive fire” at the Rosneft-owned refinery.

The evacuation of residents was under way, with a temporary shelter set up at a nearby school, he added.

A previous drone attack had halted the refinery’s operations on April 16, industry sources told the Reuters news agency.

The Tuapse attacks are part of Ukraine’s long-term campaign against Russia’s oil infrastructure that escalated starting in late March.

In recent weeks, Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s Ust-Luga and Primorsk oil export terminals in the Baltic Sea, severing as much as 40 percent of oil export revenue.

Ukraine also hit an oil tank farm and oil loading pier at the Transneft-Port Primorsk terminal in Primorsk, west of St Petersburg, and the Saratov oil refinery and the Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim oil refinery in the Republic of Bashkortostan.

Kyiv is seeking to counteract Russia’s oil windfall amid the US-Israel war on Iran, which saw the United States suspend years-long sanctions on Russian oil.

Between the Strait of Hormuz’s closure and soaring oil prices, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air estimated that Russia earned an additional 672 million euros ($777m) in oil sales in just the first two weeks of the war.