War, Money, and Grain: An Expert Explains Why a Scandal Arose Between Ukraine and Israel

Political analyst Ruslan Bortnyk explained that the scandal over the purchase of allegedly stolen grain is the result of failures across multiple lines of negotiation between Ukraine and Israel, and that grain is not even the main issue.

He spoke about this on his blog.

As the expert emphasizes, war is about money, and from this perspective one must understand what is happening between Ukraine and Israel—what kind of unexpected conflict and crisis with public mutual accusations has emerged. Ukraine accused Israel, he recalls, of purchasing stolen grain from occupied Ukrainian territories, while Israel responds that there is no evidence. In general, the expert notes, in previous years there were strong suspicions that not only Israel, but also Turkey, Egypt, and Algeria had been buying grain from Russia originating from occupied territories, but the scandal has arisen דווקא now.

“Israel is extremely important for Ukraine from the standpoint of various military supplies. First of all, Israel is a place with a high concentration of anti-ballistic air defense systems. And Ukraine, offering its drones in the Middle East, tried to obtain from the Persian Gulf countries systems like Patriot, PAC-3, and other ballistic defense systems. It did not work out very well. Some things worked, but not much. Ukraine would also like to purchase or receive from Israel ballistic systems that are not critically needed by Israel due to the weakening of Iran’s missile potential. Moreover, Israel’s skies have been protected by the Americans,” explains Ruslan Bortnyk.

According to the expert, this grain scandal has arisen against the backdrop of failed negotiations on multiple fronts and competition in the regional arms market.

“Ukraine would like to get something from Israel. Will Ukraine succeed? Will Israel agree to such a form of resolving the issues? It is still difficult to say whether it will yield to this Ukrainian pressure. Especially given that there are very few places left where these missiles can be purchased,” Ruslan Bortnyk concludes.