Ukraine's parliament backs exit from anti-personnel mine treaty
Photo: The Verkhovna Rada supported Ukraine's withdrawal from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use of Anti-Personnel Mines (Getty Images)
On July 15, the Verkhovna Rada approved a government-submitted draft law officially withdrawing Ukraine from the Ottawa Convention on the prohibition of anti-personnel mines, according to the Telegram posts by MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
According to Zheleznyak, the Verkhovna Rada also instructed the parliament speaker to promptly sign the adopted law on suspending the convention regarding the use of anti-personnel mines.
Ukraine withdraws from the Ottawa Convention
Earlier, President Zelenskyy signed a decree on Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention on the ban of anti-personnel mines. The president ordered the National Security and Defense Council to take immediate action.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided a detailed explanation of the reasons behind the country’s decision to abandon restrictions on mines.
Following this, the Cabinet of Ministers submitted a draft law to the Verkhovna Rada allowing the official suspension of the convention banning the use of anti-personnel mines.
It is worth noting that Ukraine is not the first country to abandon the provisions of the Ottawa Convention due to the threat from Russia. Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Finland have already made similar decisions.
Background of the convention
The Ottawa 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 party to the convention in 1999 and ratified it in 2005. However, China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and the United States have not joined the convention.
