Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has stated that the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines, also known as the Ottawa Convention, had placed Ukraine in an unjust position by limiting its ability to defend itself.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

Details: The ministry emphasised that Ukraine ratified the convention in 2005 and had faithfully fulfilled its obligations ever since.

Meanwhile, the Russian Federation, which is not a party to the Ottawa Convention, launched armed aggression against Ukraine and has extensively used anti-personnel mines as a method of warfare since 2014.

Quote: "Since 2022, when Russia began its full-scale invasion of our state, its mass use of such means has created an asymmetric advantage for the aggressor.

We  emphasise that at the time of Ukraine’s signing and ratification of the Ottawa Convention, such circumstances did not exist and could not have been foreseen.

As a result, Ukraine has found itself in an unequal and unjust situation that restricts its right to self-defence as enshrined in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter."

Details: The Foreign Ministry noted that Russian aggression against Ukraine has also forced Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Finland to reassess their stance and adopt a joint political decision to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention.

Quote: "Therefore, in light of the overriding priority to defend our states from brutal Russian aggression, to protect our land from occupation, and our people from horrific Russian atrocities, Ukraine has made the difficult but necessary political decision to stop the implementation of irrelevant obligations under the Ottawa Convention. We are convinced that this step is both necessary and proportionate to the level of threats, as it concerns the survival and preservation of Ukraine as a sovereign, independent, and free state.

In the context of Russia’s ongoing genocide aimed at destroying Ukraine as a state and Ukrainians as a nation, Ukraine is compelled to give unconditional priority to the security of its citizens and the defence of the state. This applies, in particular, to our state’s participation in international legal instruments and mechanisms."

Background: On 29 June, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree officially withdrawing Ukraine from the Ottawa Convention.

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