Zelensky slams Israel for buying stolen Ukrainian grain, says Kyiv prepares sanctions

Prefer on Google by Oleksiy Sorokin President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (not pictured) attend a joint press conference at the Chancellery on April 14, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. (Nadja Wohlleben/Getty Images) President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly condemned Israel, which he accused of buying grain stolen by Moscow from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine. "Purchasing stolen goods in all normal countries is an act that entails legal liability," Zelensky said. "The Israeli authorities couldn't have not known which ships and with what cargo arrived at the country's ports." The president added that "Ukraine, based on information from our intelligence, is preparing an appropriate sanctions package that will cover both those who directly transport this grain and those individuals and legal entities who try to profit from such a criminal scheme." "We will also coordinate with European partners so that the relevant individuals are included in the European sanctions regimes," he added. Panama-flagged bulk carrier Panormitis, allegedly carrying grain stolen from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, entered the Haifa Bay last week. Marine traffic monitoring services show the vessel idling near the Israeli coast. The news comes after another vessel, the Russian bulk carrier Abinsk, docked in Haifa earlier in April with nearly 44,000 tons of stolen Ukrainian wheat, earning a rebuke from Kyiv. An investigation by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz found that at least four shipments of stolen Ukrainian grain have already been unloaded in Israel this year. Kyiv has warned of diplomatic repercussions if Israel allows the vessel to dock and unload its cargo. Ukraine has summoned the Israeli Ambassador, Michael Brodsky, to urge action over a ship that seeks to unload stolen Ukrainian grain at the Haifa Port, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on April 27. "It is difficult to understand Israel's lack of appropriate response to Ukraine's legitimate request regarding the previous vessel that delivered stolen goods to Haifa," Sybiha said. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar responded publicly to Sybiha later on April 27, rejecting Kyiv's accusations and saying diplomatic relations between "friendly nations" should not be conducted through social media or the press. According to Kyiv, Russia has been systematically seizing grain from territories under its temporary occupation and arranging its export through networks tied to the occupying administration. These operations, Ukraine maintains, violate not only international norms but also the domestic laws of countries that receive such cargo. Ukrainian officials stress that Israel, like any state with functioning port controls, is fully capable of identifying both the vessels docking at its harbors and the nature of their shipments. "Russia systematically seizes grain from temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory and organizes the export of such grain by persons associated with the occupiers. Such transactions violate the legislation of the State of Israel itself," Zelensky said on April 28. "Ukraine has taken all necessary steps through diplomatic channels to prevent such incidents. However, we see that another such ship has not been stopped. I instructed the Foreign Ministry to inform all partners of our state about the situation," he then added.