The European Union has expressed its willingness to sanction Israel after a diplomatic crisis erupted between Ukraine and Israel following the unloading of a ship carrying grain from Russia at the port of Haifa.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of selling stolen Ukrainian grain. In a post on X, Zelenskyy wrote: “Russia systematically seizes grain on temporarily occupied Ukrainian land and organizes its export through people linked to the occupiers.”
He added that the country was working with its partners and preparing relevant sanctions against countries involved in buying stolen goods.
A spokesman for the EU said so Euronews that the union has approached the Israeli foreign minister about the issue, adding: “We condemn all actions that help finance Russia’s illegal war effort and circumvent EU sanctions.”
They added that the ship was allowed to unload despite previous contacts between Ukrainian and Israeli officials.
The spokesman said the EU was ready to take action by listing persons and entities in third countries if necessary.
The Panama-flagged vessel was carrying 6,200 tons of wheat and 19,000 tons of barley to Israel.
The crisis has escalated tensions between former allies.
Ukraine has generally maintained diplomatic support for Israel in recent regional conflicts. It welcomed Israel’s illegitimate military aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Israel has not yet responded to the statement of the Ukrainian president and the EU spokesman.
