Israeli grain importers have announced they will no longer accept cargo from a ship allegedly carrying stolen grain from Ukraine after the ship became the focus of a major diplomatic spat between the two countries.
The Israeli Grain Importers Association said the cargo – which Kiev said was stolen by Russia from the occupied territories of Ukraine and was scheduled to be unloaded at the port of Haifa – needed to be moved elsewhere.
“Russian suppliers of wheat shipments need to find alternative destinations,” the association said in a statement.
MarineTraffic tracking data showed the bulk carrier Panormitis leaving the port of Haifa on Wednesday afternoon, but it was not immediately clear where the ship was headed.
The decision follows several days of heightened tensions between Ukraine and Israel following the arrival of Panormitis in Haifa Bay last weekend.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Israel of deliberately allowing past shipments of allegedly stolen grain to be unloaded and warned of possible sanctions against those involved if the practice continued.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry claimed this, claiming that Ukraine had delayed providing official documents and evidence, but later added that the request was under consideration.
A spokesperson for the Grain Importers Association told CNN that the importer, Zenziper, was not aware of any wrongdoing with the shipment and learned of the allegations through media coverage.
“The company sought government guidance, but there was no clear direction and it decided on its own to refuse the shipment, despite the risk of legal action from its suppliers,” the spokesperson said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha called the development a welcome development and said it sent a clear signal to other shipping companies and governments to stay away from the theft of Ukrainian grain.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry appeared to distance itself from any suggestion that it had bowed to pressure, instead saying that Ukraine’s recent request for legal assistance “contained significant factual gaps and contained no supporting evidence (that the grain was stolen).”
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago, Kiev has consistently accused Moscow of the systematic plunder of agricultural resources, although Kiev maintains that the true origins of the stolen grain are hidden when it is sold on global markets.
According to an investigative report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, illegal grain has entered Israel’s ports at least four times this year. The report added that such deliveries have been going on since 2023 and the number has reached more than 30 in total.
Earlier this week, the European Union also requested further information from Israeli authorities about the suspected imports and warned that it could also impose sanctions on those involved.
“We condemn any action that helps Russia finance its illegal war effort or evade EU sanctions and remain ready to target such actions by listing individuals and entities in third countries, if necessary,” an EU spokesperson told CNN.
Relations between Israel and Ukraine have remained tense since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Israeli leaders have sought to maintain conduits with both Kiev and Russia, limiting military aid to Ukraine to primarily non-lethal humanitarian assistance and rejecting pressure to transfer Israeli-made weapons systems and weapons to Kiev.
More recently, after Israel and the United States launched a war against Iran, Ukraine has positioned itself as a regional security provider in the Middle East, offering partnerships and expertise, especially in drone defense.
Zelensky himself visited Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Jordan last month, but did not stop in Israel.
Victoria Butenko and Kosta Gak contributed reporting from Kiev
