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Ukraine Calls On Lebanon To Reconsider Decision To Allow Transportation Of Ship With 'Stolen' Grain


The Laodicea docked at the port of Tripoli in northern Lebanon on July 29.
The Laodicea docked at the port of Tripoli in northern Lebanon on July 29.

Ukraine has called on Lebanon to reconsider a court decision to allow a seized Syrian ship carrying what Kyiv says is stolen Ukrainian grain to travel further.

In a statement issued on August 4, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said it was "disappointed" by the court's decision to clear the Syrian-flagged Laodicea for departure from the Lebanese port city of Tripoli, stressing that Kyiv's point of view on the issue was ignored by the court.

"The Lebanese court's decision allows the ship, which is under international sanctions over the illegal transportation of cargo from temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, to unimpededly leave the port of Tripoli with stolen Ukrainian flour and barley," the statement says.

"The decision under question actually enables Russia to continue stealing from Ukraine's temporarily occupied south with a sense impunity," it added.

A day earlier, the Russian Embassy in Lebanon said it had no information on the ship or the cargo that was shipped there by a private company.

Kyiv has accused Moscow of stealing around 500,000 tons of grain from areas it has occupied, saying 78 vessels involved in the transfer of the stolen grain were traced by Ukrainian experts.

Russia, which launched an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in late February, has denied stealing grain from Ukraine.

With reporting by Reuters
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