Ukraine summons Israeli ambassador over ‘stolen’ grain shipments

The diplomatic spat unfolds as Ukrainian drones hit Russia’s Tuapse oil refinery, causing a ‘massive’ fire.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”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Oil prices rise despite Iran’s proposal to reopen Strait of Hormuzlist 2 of 3Russian oil exports slump as Ukraine hammers ports and refinerieslist 3 of 3Oil prices rise amid stalled US-Iran peace talksend of list“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”.