Ukraine has withdrawn from a treaty banning anti-personnel mines, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced.
According to foreign media, citing Kyiv Independent, this move came after 305 politicians voted in favor of withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention, while 40 abstained and none voted against.
The Ukrainian president said: “Measures regarding the use of certain types of weapons, including anti-personnel landmines, will help us achieve at least parity in the forces and capabilities necessary to defend against Russian aggression.”
"Russia has never been a party to the Ottawa Convention and has never taken honest steps within any disarmament policy or more humane practices in the use of weapons," he continued.
Recall that Russia has used anti-personnel mines extensively in areas of Ukraine where its forces have operated, writes A2 CNN.
Several countries bordering Russia, including Finland, Poland and the three former Soviet Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, have either already withdrawn from the convention or have indicated their intention to do so.
They have said that withdrawing from the treaty would give their forces "flexibility and freedom of choice" to use new weapons systems, including anti-personnel mines, to strengthen NATO's eastern flank. (A2 Televizion)
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