Russia's Foreign Ministry harshly criticizes Israel for refusing to offload Russian grain ship, saying it was pressured by Kyiv

Russia's Foreign Ministry harshly criticizes Israel: yielding to Kyiv's pressure, refusing to unload Russian grain

Russia's Foreign Ministry: Israel bans Russian grain ship from unloading, regrettable

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the Russian dry cargo vessel "Panormitis" was denied permission to discharge its grain cargo at Haifa Port in Israel, a decision Moscow regrets.

An official statement released on the website of Russia's Foreign Ministry said that Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, expressed regret over Israel’s decision to deny the Russian-flagged "Panormitis" grain-carrying vessel the right to unload at Haifa Port.

According to Zakharova, Israel made this decision under pressure from Kyiv. The statement emphasized that Russia has taken note of Ukraine’s reaction to this move.

Zakharova said: “Some representatives of the Kyiv regime welcomed this decision by Israeli importers, calling it an 'explicit signal' to avoid purchasing 'stolen Ukrainian grain.' Setting aside Ukraine’s absurd and baseless accusations, we wish to emphasize that Moscow regrets Israel’s clearly pressured action under Kyiv’s influence. This contradicts Israel’s proclaimed commitment to maintaining economic cooperation with Russia and jeopardizes Israel’s own food security."

Earlier reports by Komsomolskaya Pravda indicated that Kyiv had warned Tel Aviv that serious consequences would follow if Russian grain ships from the new regions were allowed to enter Haifa Port. On the same day, Israel’s ambassador was summoned to Ukraine’s foreign ministry for a protest note.

However, Israel rejected Ukraine’s allegations regarding the purchase of Russian grain. Meanwhile, the European Union issued threats of sanctions against Israel. Ultimately, due to concerns over EU sanctions and diplomatic pressure, the unloading operation of the grain ship at Haifa Port was forced to be postponed on April 30.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864667351516235/

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