The European Union has expressed its willingness to sanction Israel after a diplomatic crisis broke out between Ukraine and Israel following the unloading of a ship carrying grain from Russia to the port of Haifa.
Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of selling stolen Ukrainian grain. In a post on X, Zelenskyy wrote: “Russia is systematically confiscating grain on temporarily occupied Ukrainian lands and organizing its export through individuals linked to the occupiers.”
He added that the country is working with its partners and preparing to apply relevant sanctions to countries involved in the purchase of stolen goods.
A European Union spokesman said Euronews that the union has approached the Israeli foreign minister on the issue and added: “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 spokesperson said the EU was ready to list individuals and entities from third countries if necessary.
The Panama-flagged ship was carrying 6,200 tons of wheat and 19,000 tons of barley to Israel.
The crisis has intensified tensions between formerly allied countries.
Ukraine has generally maintained diplomatic support for Israel in recent regional conflicts. Welcomed Israel’s illegitimate military aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Israel has yet to respond to the statement by the Ukrainian president and the EU spokesperson.
