Ukraine broaches ‘stolen’ Russian grain cargo on call with Israel
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Ukraine in August 2025 said that Russia had moved more than 15 million tonnes of stolen Ukrainian grain since the start of the war in 2022.
PHOTO: REUTERS
KYIV – Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha held a call with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar to discuss a Russian vessel carrying what he described as grain stolen from Ukraine that was allowed to dock in an Israeli port.
Kyiv considers all grain produced in the four regions Russia claimed after its 2022 invasion, as well as in Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, to have been stolen by Moscow.
“I stressed that the illegal export of stolen Ukrainian agricultural products is part of Russia’s broader war effort,” Mr Sybiha said on April 14 in a post on social media platform X. “Such illegal trade with stolen goods must not be allowed.”
Russia refers to the four regions as its “new territories”, but they are still internationally recognised as Ukrainian.
Mr Sybiha said in March that Russia moved more than two million tonnes of stolen Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea in 2025. Ukrainian officials estimated in August 2025 that Russia has stolen 15 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain since the start of the full-scale war.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister added that the two also talked about security matters and the situation in the Middle East.
“We reaffirmed our mutual interest in advancing the bilateral agenda and maintaining an active dialogue, including on security-related matters,” he said. REUTERS
