Ukraine calls on Israel to seize Russia-linked grain ship

Ukraine has requested that Israel seize a vessel carrying grain it says was stolen from areas occupied by Russia, its top prosecutor said on Wednesday, after the shipment sparked a diplomatic tussle between the countries.

Ukraine and Israel traded accusations on Tuesday, with Ukraine saying it had repeatedly urged Israel via diplomatic channels to take measures regarding the vessel. Israel accused Kyiv of "Twitter diplomacy".

Ukraine's Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said on the Telegram app that the vessel, Panormitis, was headed to the Israeli port of Haifa with grain "some of which was shipped" from Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine. The grain had earlier been loaded from another vessel, he said.

"The Ukrainian side is asking its Israeli partners to seize the vessel and its cargo, conduct a search, seize the vessel's and cargo documentation, take grain samples, and question the crew members," Kravchenko said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who previously said Ukraine had not provided any evidence for its claims, wrote on X on Wednesday that Kyiv had submitted its request to seize the vessel late on Tuesday.

"One would expect the submission of a legal request before Tweeting. You chose differently, for your own reasons. The request is now being examined by the relevant authorities," he wrote.

DISPUTED GRAIN SHIPMENTS SOUR DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS

Kyiv has repeatedly protested Russian exports of grain from eastern Ukrainian regions occupied since Moscow's 2022 full-scale invasion and from Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday threatened sanctions against those attempting to profit from the shipment, and Kyiv summoned Israel's ambassador over what it described as Israeli inaction.

Moscow has not commented on the legal status of grain collected in occupied areas, and the Kremlin declined to comment on the Panormitis on Tuesday, saying Russia would not get involved.

More than 1.7 million metric tons of agricultural products, worth over 20 billion hryvnias ($453.67 million), have been illegally transferred from occupied territories since Russia's invasion, Kravchenko said. Reuters could not immediately verify the data.

Ukraine's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that since March it had also reached out to Israel regarding a different vessel, the Abinsk, which it said was carrying stolen grain. That ship was allowed to unload and leave Israel despite Kyiv's requests, it said.

"We expect the Israeli side to take it seriously rather than responding with emotional statements," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X on Wednesday.

($1 = 44.0852 hryvnias)