Zelensky signs decree for Ukraine’s withdrawal from anti-personnel mines treaty
Driven by Russia’s widespread use of mines, the decision aims to restore Ukraine’s right to defend its territory
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday he had signed a decree to pull Ukraine out of the Ottawa Convention banning the production and use of anti-personnel mines as a necessary step in view of Russian tactics in their 40-month-old war.
Ukraine ratified the convention in 2005.
The Ottawa Convention, adopted in 1997, prohibits the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of all types of anti-personnel mines, which are considered especially inhumane weapons. More than 160 countries have signed the agreement. Russia, along with the United States and China, is not a signatory.
Zelensky said in his nightly video address that Russia had never been a party to the convention “and is using anti-personnel mines with utmost cynicism” along with other weapons, including ballistic missiles.
“This is a hallmark of Russian killers. To destroy life by all means at their disposal. … We see how our neighbours in Europe react to this threat,” he said.