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Ukraine said Thursday that a vessel it accuses of illegally transporting grain from Ukrainian territories under Russian control will not unload in Israel, after the issue triggered a diplomatic dispute between Kyiv and Tel Aviv.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the development “welcome,” saying Kyiv’s legal and diplomatic efforts had been effective.
“This is a welcome development that the ‘PANORMITIS’ vessel, which is illegally transporting grain from Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories, will not be unloading in Israel,” Sybiha said on X, the U.S. social media platform.
Sybiha said the case sends a “clear signal” to other vessels and governments not to buy what Ukraine calls stolen Ukrainian grain.
“We continue to track this particular vessel and warn everyone against any operations with it. We will also continue to ramp up international sanctions measures against Russia’s shadow grain fleet,” he said.
Ukraine had officially requested action from Israel over the vessel on Wednesday, a day after Kyiv summoned Israel’s ambassador over the issue.
On Monday, Sybiha said Ukraine would protest what he described as Israel’s lack of an appropriate response to Kyiv’s request concerning the vessel.
“We once again warn Israel against accepting the stolen grain and harming our relations,” Sybiha said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Ukraine had not provided evidence to support its allegations and had not submitted a legal request before making its complaint public.
“Finally, you submitted the request late last night and now you are following it up with another Tweet,” Saar said, adding that Israel was examining the request.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry later said Ukraine submitted a judicial assistance request on the night of April 28.
The ministry claimed the request contained “significant factual gaps” and did not include supporting evidence.
It said Israeli police had contacted Ukraine’s prosecutor's office to request additional information and supporting evidence.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it had been informed that the vessel, which had been expected to enter port next week, had decided to leave Israeli territorial waters.
The Jerusalem Post, citing a statement by Israel’s Grain Importers Association, reported earlier Thursday that the company importing the grain had been “forced to turn away” the vessel.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said on Telegram that the vessel departed for neutral waters “after Ukraine took a set of procedural measures.”
The expected arrival of the vessel at Haifa Port had caused a diplomatic dispute between Israel and Ukraine.
Sybiha and Saar exchanged remarks over the issue on social media.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Kyiv was preparing a sanctions package covering “both those directly transporting this grain and the individuals and legal entities attempting to profit from this criminal scheme.”
Kyiv had formally applied to Israel for the seizure of the vessel, which it accused of carrying grain stolen by Russia from Ukraine.
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