"Twitter diplomacy" escalates between Israeli, Ukrainian FMs over illegal grain

A public back-and-forth between the top diplomats of Israel and Ukraine has entered a new stage, centring on a dispute over a vessel suspected of transporting illegally obtained Ukrainian grain.

Kyiv reiterated that it had formally asked Israel to take action over the ship’s arrival, with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announcing the move in a post on X, as Caliber.Az reports.

“Ukraine has officially addressed Israel through diplomatic and legal channels, requesting action on the 'PANORMITIS' vessel,” Sybiha said.

The Ukrainian FM's remarks seem to be aimed at refuting a claim made by the Israeli side earlier, alleging that no such request was received.

He added that the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine submitted the request on the basis of a Ukrainian court ruling ordering the vessel’s arrest as part of an ongoing investigation.

The ship, which has docked at the port of Haifa, is suspected of carrying grain allegedly taken from a closed port in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory, in breach of both international law and Ukrainian legislation.

“This is not ‘Twitter diplomacy,’ but a concrete legal and diplomatic request for international legal assistance that requires a response. We expect the Israeli side to treat it seriously, rather than respond with emotional statements,” Sybiha wrote, referring to earlier remarks by his Israeli counterpart.

Twitter feud

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar had previously dismissed the allegations, saying no evidence had been provided.

He also appeared to criticise Kyiv’s approach, writing on X that "Diplomatic relations, especially between friendly nations, are not conducted on Twitter or in the media."

"Allegations are not evidence. Evidence substantiating the allegations has yet to be provided. You did not even submit a request for legal assistance before turning to the media and social networks," he said on April 27.

Sa’ar’s comments were themselves a response to an earlier post by Sybiha, in which the Ukrainian minister said he found it "difficult to understand Israel’s lack of appropriate response to Ukraine’s legitimate request regarding the previous vessel that delivered stolen goods to Haifa."

By Nazrin Sadigova