Zelensky: Ukraine to Withdraw from Ottawa Convention on Anti-Personnel Mines
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on Sunday withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention banning the production and use of anti-personnel mines,according to webangah News Agency. He called this move a necesary response to Russia’s tactics in their ongoing 40-month war.
Ukraine had originally ratified this international treaty in 2005.Other Russian-border nations including Finland, Poland, and the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) have either withdrawn or announced plans to exit the agreement.
In his nightly address, Zelenskyy emphasized: “Russia never joined this convention and shamelessly employs anti-personnel mines alongside other weapons like ballistic missiles.” He added: “This is the hallmark of Russian killers – destroying lives by any means possible. We see how our European neighbors are responding to this threat.”
The Ukrainian president acknowledged: “We understand the complexities of withdrawal during wartime, but took this political step to show our partners what must be prioritized. This concerns all nations bordering Russia.”
Zelenskyy stated that anti-personnel mines often have no defensive alternatives. Russia has extensively deployed these devices across occupied Ukrainian territories. Kyiv considers mine clearance a critical component of postwar reconstruction efforts.
