Ukraine ratified the convention in 2005.
Other countries bordering Russia, notably Finland, Poland and the three ex-Soviet Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – have either withdrawn from the convention or indicated that they would do so.
Zelensky said in his 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.
Anti-personnel mines, Zelensky said, are “often the instrument for which nothing can be substituted for defence purposes.”
Russia has used anti-personnel mines extensively in parts of Ukraine where its forces have been operating. Ukraine sees the clearing of such mines as a key element in post-war recovery.
The decree calls for support for a Ukrainian foreign ministry proposal to “withdraw Ukraine from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction of September 18, 1997.”
A senior Ukrainian lawmaker, Roman Kostenko, said that parliamentary approval was still needed to withdraw from the treaty.
Russia has intensified its offensive operations in Ukraine in recent months, using significant superiority in manpower. (Reuters)
