Ukraine on dropping mine restrictions: 'It concerns the survival'
Photo: US-made anti-personnel mine in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces (Getty Images)
Since 2005, Ukraine has complied with the provisions of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production, and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (the Ottawa Convention). However, Russia’s invasion has placed Ukraine in an unequal situation, as the Russians did not sign this document, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
The MFA recalled that Russia, which is not a signatory of the Convention, has widely used anti-personnel mines against Ukraine since 2014. Since 2022, when the full-scale invasion began, this type of weapon has given the occupiers an asymmetric advantage.
"We emphasize that at the time of signing and ratifying the Ottawa Convention by our state, such circumstances were absent and could not have been foreseen. Thus, Ukraine found itself in an unequal and unfair situation that limits its right to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter," the message stated.
The MFA reminded that before Ukraine, several other European states also withdrew from the Ottawa Convention. The reason was the need for effective protection against the Russian threat: the priority of resistance and ensuring the defense of native land is higher than the necessity to comply with international conventions.
"Taking into account the unconditional priority of defending our state from brutal Russian aggression, our land from occupation, and people from horrific Russian atrocities, Ukraine has made a difficult but necessary political decision to cease fulfilling irrelevant obligations under the Ottawa Convention. This step is necessary and corresponds to the level of threats, as it concerns the survival and preservation of Ukraine as a sovereign, independent, and free state," the MFA concluded.
The Ottawa Convention on the prohibition of anti-personnel mines
The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production, and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction was adopted on September 18, 1997. Ukraine became a member of the convention in 1999.
The Verkhovna Rada ratified it in May 2005. It is worth noting that China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and the United States did not join the convention. Therefore, they retained their stockpiles of anti-personnel mines.
On June 29, 2025, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, signed a decree on Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention. The National Security and Defense Council and the Cabinet of Ministers received instructions to take measures to ensure the implementation of this decision.
Not only Ukraine: who else withdrew from the convention
Ukraine is not the first country to refuse to comply with the provisions of the Ottawa Convention due to the threat from Russia. Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Finland have also decided to prioritize their own security:
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On June 26, the Polish Sejm supported a bill to withdraw from the convention.
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In early May 2025, the Lithuanian parliament supported withdrawal from the anti-personnel mine treaty.
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In mid-June 2025, the Finnish parliament voted to withdraw from the convention.
