Ukraine seeks legal help from Israel over ship with stolen grain
Second vessel with stolen grain arrived at ship (illustrative photo: Getty Images)
Ukraine has requested legal assistance from Israel regarding the vessel Panormitis carrying stolen grain, sources told RBC-Ukraine.
A request for legal assistance was sent with a note to the local Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Justice. Ukrainian lawyers have already submitted a request directly to the Prosecutor General's Office of Israel.
This was preceded by the arrival last week at the port of Haifa of the first vessel with a batch of grain illegally taken by Russians from the occupied territories of Ukraine. Despite official warnings from Kyiv, the Israeli side allowed the unloading of the vessel.
Already this week, a second vessel with stolen Ukrainian grain was recorded in Israel, which forced Ukraine once again to appeal to the authorities of the country to block illegal products.
Because of these incidents, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine summoned Israeli ambassador Michael Brodsky for explanations. He was handed a note of protest.
At the same time, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar stated that the accusations themselves are not evidence and the Ukrainian side has not provided relevant proof.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that, against the background of Israel's actions, the Ukrainian side has begun preparation of a new sanctions package.
In addition, the media reported that the European Union is considering the possibility of imposing sanctions against Israeli individuals and legal entities that may have been involved in the illegal trade of stolen Ukrainian agricultural products.
According to a spokesperson of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Heorhii Tykhyi, Russia supplies stolen grain not only to Israel, but also to countries in Africa and other regions.
