Ukraine moves to withdraw from Ottawa mine ban treaty amid ongoing conflict

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a decree activating the National Security and Defense Council’s decision to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, an international treaty that prohibits the use of anti-personnel mines.

The announcement was made by Roman Kostenko, Secretary of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense, on Facebook, as per Caliber.Az.

Kostenko emphasised the necessity of this move in light of current wartime realities, stating, “Russia is not a party to this convention and is using mines extensively against our military and civilians. We cannot remain bound by restrictions that the enemy does not observe.”

The decree now awaits legislative approval from the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament. According to Kostenko, the withdrawal aims to restore Ukraine’s full right to defend its territory amid ongoing hostilities.

The Ottawa Convention, formally known as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, was adopted in 1997 and came into force in 1999. It seeks to eliminate anti-personnel landmines worldwide due to their long-lasting humanitarian impact, particularly on civilians after conflicts end.

With this decision, Ukraine signals a shift in its defense policy, citing the extensive and unlawful use of mines by Russian forces on Ukrainian soil as justification for withdrawing from the treaty that restricts its use of such weapons.

By Khagan Isayev