April 28, 2026, 3:12 p.mApril 28, 2026, 3:12 p.m
Ukraine is toughening its tone against Israel in the dispute over Russian deliveries of grain from occupied Ukrainian territories. President Volodymyr Zelensky threatened sanctions against everyone involved in the trade.
“In any normal country, buying stolen goods is a crime. This is especially true for grain that Russia stole,” Zelensky wrote on social networks. “We expect Israel to respect Ukraine and refrain from anything that undermines our bilateral relations.”
According to Zelensky, this is the second time this year that a freighter has transported grain from the occupied Ukrainian territories to Israel. The ship is to be unloaded in the port of Haifa. On Monday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador Michael Brodsky to Kiev. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar demanded that Kyiv provide evidence for its allegations.
Report: Fourth grain shipment this year
According to research by the anti-government newspaper Haaretz, this is the fourth such delivery this year. Since 2023, cargo has arrived in Israel several times that could have come from the occupied territories; there is a “certain pattern”. Zelensky said sanctions should target those transporting the grain and “the individuals and companies that seek to profit from this criminal scheme.”
Russia has controlled around a fifth of Ukrainian territory since the annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and the invasion in 2022. The southeast of Ukraine is important not only for mining and industry, but also for agriculture because of its black earth soils. Ukraine considers trade in goods from the occupied territories to be illegal.
Tense relationship
Israel’s relations with Russia are predominantly pragmatic, especially in the context of Russia’s presence in the Middle East. However, Moscow’s proximity to Israel’s arch-enemy Iran and its allies is causing tensions.
The relationship between Ukraine and Israel is rather cool. Israel could have helped Ukraine with its weapons and combat experience in the early stages of the war, but held back out of deference to Moscow. Most recently, Ukraine has used its drone warfare experience as a trump card to forge closer alliances with Arab states in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. (sda/dpa)