Ukraine and Israel traded accusations on X/Twitter on Tuesday, with Kyiv accusing Jerusalem of resorting to “Twitter diplomacy.” The exchange followed Ukrainian claims that it had repeatedly urged Israel through diplomatic channels to act against a vessel that recently docked in Haifa, which it alleges is carrying grain taken from Russian-occupied areas.
Ukraine's Prosecutor General, Ruslan Kravchenko, stated on Telegram that the vessel, Panormitis, was en route to the Israeli port of Haifa with grain that was partially loaded from Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine. He noted that the grain had been transferred from another vessel.
"The Ukrainian side is asking its Israeli partners to seize the vessel and its cargo, conduct a search, confiscate the vessel's and cargo documentation, take grain samples, and question the crew members," Kravchenko said.
Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha, posted on X that Ukraine had officially communicated with Israel through diplomatic and legal channels, requesting action regarding the vessel.
“This is not Twitter diplomacy; it is a specific legal and diplomatic request for international legal assistance that requires a response. We expect the Israeli side to take it seriously, rather than respond with emotional statements,” he wrote.
In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who had previously stated that Ukraine had not provided any evidence for its claims, replied to Sybiha on X, noting that Kyiv had only submitted its request to seize the vessel late on Tuesday.
"One would expect the submission of a legal request before tweeting. You chose to do otherwise for your own reasons. The request is now being examined by the relevant authorities," he wrote.
A spokesperson for Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heorhii Tykhyi, responded to this post, stating, "With all due respect, Your Excellency, we expect action. Specifically, we request that the State of Israel stop accepting grain stolen from Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories. When such action is taken, we would be pleased to receive relevant messages via X, WhatsApp, Signal, email, traditional mail, or any other channel of your convenience."
Russian exports of grain from eastern Ukraine
Kyiv has repeatedly protested Russian exports of grain from eastern Ukrainian regions occupied since Moscow's 2022 full-scale invasion and from Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday threatened sanctions against those attempting to profit from the shipment, and Kyiv summoned Israel's ambassador over what it described as Israeli inaction.
Moscow has not commented on the legal status of grain collected in occupied areas, and the Kremlin declined to comment on the Panormitis on Tuesday, saying Russia would not get involved.
More than 1.7 million metric tons of agricultural products, worth over 20 billion hryvnias ($453.67 million), have been illegally transferred from occupied territories since Russia's invasion, Kravchenko said. Reuters could not immediately verify the data.
Ukraine's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that since March it had also reached out to Israel regarding a different vessel, the Abinsk, which it said was carrying stolen grain. That ship was allowed to unload and leave Israel despite Kyiv's requests, it said.