Europe

Europe

Ukraine on track to withdraw from Ottawa anti-personnel mines treaty, Zelenskyy decree shows

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President

30 June 2025 01:21 (UTC +04:00)

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 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, APA reports citing Reuters.

Ukraine ratified the convention in 2005.

Zelenskyy 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.

"We also know the complexities of the withdrawal procedure when it is conducted during war. We take this political step and give a signal to our political partners on what to focus on. This concerns all countries that border Russia," he said.