Sa’ar confirms Kyiv submitted official request against ‘stolen’ grain ship, now being examined after public spat

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar confirms that Israel received Ukraine’s request for legal assistance regarding a vessel waiting to dock in Haifa, which is suspected of carrying grain stolen by Russia from occupied Ukrainian territory, while taking another swipe at Kyiv’s handling of the issue.

In a post on X, Sa’ar says the request was submitted “late last night” after earlier public statements by Ukrainian officials, adding, “One would expect the submission of a legal request before Tweeting. You chose differently, for your own reasons.”

He says the request is now being reviewed by the relevant Israeli authorities.

The remarks follow an X post by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha saying that Kyiv had formally approached Israel through legal and diplomatic channels over the Panormitis vessel and rejecting Sa’ar’s earlier accusation of “Twitter diplomacy.”

The dispute comes amid heightened tensions between Jerusalem and Kyiv over the handling of the case, which Ukraine says involves grain illegally transported from Russian-occupied territory.