EU says it contacted Israel over Russian grain ship reportedly linked to occupied Ukrainian territories
EU foreign affairs spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said the bloc condemns any actions that support Russia’s “illegal war” in Ukraine
Brussels: The European Union has confirmed that it has contacted Israel regarding a Russian vessel that docked at the port of Haifa, amid allegations from Ukraine that the ship was carrying grain looted from Ukrainian territory.
According to an EU foreign affairs spokesperson, the bloc has raised the matter with Israeli authorities following reports that the vessel was allowed to berth despite concerns over the origin of its cargo.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the Israeli ambassador was summoned over what Kyiv described as Israel’s inaction in allowing the entry of grain allegedly taken from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
Responding to the development, EU foreign affairs spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said the bloc condemns any actions that support Russia’s “illegal war” in Ukraine or facilitate evasion of EU sanctions. He added that the EU is prepared to target individuals and entities in third countries if necessary to enforce its sanctions regime.
“We have contacted the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this issue,” the spokesperson said.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kyiv has repeatedly accused Moscow of exporting grain from occupied regions, including territories Russia claims to have annexed such as Crimea (annexed in 2014) and several eastern and southern regions. Ukraine considers all such exports to be illegal and has consistently protested their shipment abroad.
Russia, for its part, refers to these territories as its “new regions,” though they are still internationally recognised as part of Ukraine. Moscow has not commented on the specific legal status of the grain in question.
