Ukraine slams Egypt for accepting Ukrainian grain stolen by Russia
Photo: Andrii Sybiha (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Egypt allowed the vessel ASOMATOS to unload 26.9 thousand tons of stolen Ukrainian grain despite Ukraine providing data and legal grounds for its arrest, stated Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on X.
"Despite repeated warnings, the "ASOMATOS" vessel has been permitted to unload 26.9k tons of stolen Ukrainian wheat at Abu Qir. This is the fourth instance of Russiaʼs grain laundering in Egyptian ports since April," the minister wrote.
Sybiha added that five days earlier, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General had sent an official request for legal assistance to Egypt’s Ministry of Justice regarding the illicit cargo. It was exported by the sanctioned company Agro-Fregat via occupied Crimea, and Kyiv had provided all the data and legal grounds to arrest the vessel and its cargo.
"Ukraine is a country that has played the role of a reliable food security guarantor for Egypt for many years — and we don’t understand why Egyptian partners pay us back by continuing to accept stolen Ukrainian grain," the Foreign Minister added.
Sybiha urged Egypt’s partners to adhere to international law, the commitments made to Ukraine, and the principles of bilateral relations between the countries.
"Furthermore, we remind Egypt and all other nations that Ukraine survived a genocide through hunger last century when Moscow ordered grain to be taken away from our people. Now that Moscow again steals our grain, it invokes our worst memories," the minister emphasized.
A diplomatic dispute recently erupted between Ukraine and Israel over the purchase of allegedly stolen grain from temporarily occupied territories.
At the port of Haifa, the vessel Abinsk was unloaded with a shipment of wheat despite Kyiv’s warning about its possible illegal origin. Another vessel carrying suspicious agricultural cargo was later spotted in Haifa.
After that, an Israeli importer decided not to unload grain exported from Ukraine, fearing potential international sanctions.
