Ukraine has appealed to the European Union to impose sanctions on Bangladeshi companies accused of purchasing wheat that Ukraine says was “stolen” by Russia from Ukrainian territories. Ukraine’s ambassador to India stated that they have sent multiple letters to Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but Dhaka has not responded. As a result, Ukraine is now turning to the EU.Ukraine alleges that Bangladeshi companies bought wheat produced in areas of Ukraine occupied by Russia, which it describes as “stolen grain.” Russia denies the claim, arguing that the territories in question are now part of Russia and the wheat belongs to them.Documents obtained by Reuters show that the Ukrainian embassy in New Delhi sent Bangladesh several letters urging it to suspend the purchase of 150,000 tons of wheat shipped from Russia’s Caucasus ports to Bangladesh. The letters also included details of ships allegedly transporting wheat from ports in occupied Crimea (Sevastopol, Kerch) and Berdyansk to the Caucasus, with dates of their departures to Bangladesh between November 2024 and June 2025.On June 11, Ukraine warned Bangladesh that accepting this wheat could lead to “serious consequences” and claimed buying it would worsen “humanitarian suffering.”A spokesperson for the European Union said there are currently no sanctions on the ships Ukraine named. A Russian businessman noted that it is difficult to identify the origin of wheat once loaded onto ships, making it nearly impossible to determine whether it came from Russia or occupied Ukraine.A Bangladeshi food official told Reuters that Bangladesh does not import stolen grain and that restrictions apply if wheat comes from occupied Ukrainian territories.
