Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made the announcement on Sunday that he had signed a decree launching Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, a global treaty prohibiting the use and storage of anti-personnel landmines. The move, he added, is in keeping with evolving reality in war with Russia’s ongoing aggression.
Ukraine signed the treaty in 2005 but cited Russia’s “widespread and cynical” employment of landmines and ballistic missiles during the 40-month conflict as a reason for doing so. In his evening speech, he proclaimed the mines as an important defense tool in contemporary warfare.
“Anti-personnel mines are often irreplaceable in defense,” Zelenskyy stated, emphasizing that Russia, which has never signed the convention, uses them indiscriminately against both Ukrainian forces and civilians. He added, “We’re taking this political step to signal our partners what must now be prioritized. This concerns all countries bordering Russia.”
Zelenskyy added that some of the neighboring countries Finland, Poland, and the Baltic nations Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have previously pulled out or indicated plans to leave the convention.
The presidential decree, published on the internet, supports a plan by the foreign ministry to initiate the legal process of withdrawing from the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. Official withdrawal, however, will still need parliamentary approval.
Roman Kostenko, a senior MP and secretary of the parliamentary committee for national security, stated the action is in response to the absence of international restraints on Russia. “We cannot be tied by restrictions that our enemy ignores,” he added, saying a parliamentary debate will take place.
Ukraine long made demining a key component of its post-conflict recovery. Yet as the Russian offensive accelerates, Kyiv is turning to more pragmatic wartime tactics, trying to balance the scales by restoring its right to use landmines in a defensive posture.