Ship carrying stolen grain rejected by Israel now heading toward Türkiye, ambassador says
File photo: Russia is trying to sell stolen Ukrainian grain (Getty Images)
The vessel Panormitis, carrying 25,000 tons of stolen Ukrainian grain, is awaiting permission to enter the Turkish port of Iskenderun after Israel refused to unload the cargo, Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk said in a comment to The Times of Israel.
"We hope they do the right thing like Israel did," the diplomat said.
According to him, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry and the Office of the Prosecutor General are working to persuade Ankara not to accept grain stolen by Russia.
According to Turkish media reports, the Panormitis arrived at the Turkish port of Iskenderun on Wednesday, May 13.
Earlier, a diplomatic dispute erupted between Ukraine and Israel over the purchase of grain allegedly stolen from temporarily occupied territories.
In the port of Haifa, the vessel Abinsk unloaded a shipment of wheat despite warnings from Kyiv about its potentially illegal origin. Later, another ship carrying suspicious agricultural cargo was also spotted in Haifa.
At the time, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Ukraine’s request for legal assistance lacked sufficient facts and was not supported by evidence.
Following that, the Israeli importer decided not to unload the grain exported from Ukraine, fearing possible international sanctions.
At the beginning of May, Egypt allowed the vessel ASOMATOS to unload 26,900 tons of allegedly stolen Ukrainian grain, despite Ukraine providing data and legal grounds for its seizure.
