Ukraine has accused Israel of accepting shipments of grain allegedly taken from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, escalating diplomatic tensions between Kyiv and Tel Aviv.

Ukrainian officials said a vessel carrying what they described as “stolen” grain recently arrived at the Israeli port of Haifa and was preparing to offload its cargo. Kyiv argued that any trade involving agricultural produce from occupied Ukrainian land was illegal and unacceptable.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the alleged shipment, warning that Ukraine could impose sanctions on companies or individuals found to be involved in the trade. He said the matter was being treated seriously by the Ukrainian government.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry also summoned Israel’s ambassador in Kyiv to express its concerns, stating that it had previously raised similar complaints regarding earlier grain shipments. Israeli authorities rejected the allegations, insisting that no conclusive evidence had been provided to prove the grain was stolen.

Israeli officials said the claims would be reviewed but criticised Ukraine for taking the matter public before diplomatic channels had been fully exhausted. The latest dispute follows reports in Israeli media alleging that several grain shipments suspected to have originated from occupied Ukrainian territories had entered Israel in recent months.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kyiv has repeatedly accused Moscow of seizing grain and other agricultural products from territories under Russian control.

Russia has denied similar accusations in the past and has not yet responded to the latest claims.