Ukraine and several Baltic and Nordic states are withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines, citing security threats from Russia.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a decree initiating the country’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the production and use of anti-personnel mines, according to an announcement on the presidential website on Sunday.
Ukraine ratified the convention in 2005. The decree states: "Support the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 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."
Roman Kostenko, secretary of the Ukrainian parliament's committee on national security, defence and intelligence, said parliamentary approval is still required to finalise the withdrawal.
"This is a step that the reality of war has long demanded. Russia is not a party to this Convention and is massively using mines against our military and civilians," Kostenko wrote on Facebook.
"We cannot remain tied down in an environment where the enemy has no restrictions," he added, stressing that Ukraine’s legislative decision would restore its right to effectively defend its territory.
Meanwhile, Lithuania has formally notified the United Nations of its decision to leave the treaty, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on X on Friday. Under treaty rules, Lithuania will no longer be bound by the convention six months after notification.
Parliaments of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland and Poland – all NATO and EU members bordering Russia – have approved their countries’ withdrawal from the treaty, citing the increased military danger posed by their neighbour.
Russia has intensified its offensive operations in Ukraine in recent months, leveraging significant superiority in manpower.
Kostenko did not specify when the Ukrainian parliament would debate the withdrawal.
The United States and Israel have carried out large-scale strikes on Iranian leadership and military targets, with Iranian state media confirming t...
Follow the latest developments and global reaction after the U.S. and Israel launched “major combat operations” in Iran, prompting reta...
Ayatollah Alireza Arafi has moved into a pivotal constitutional role following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, becoming the cle...
Protests broke out in Pakistan and Iraq on Sunday after Iranian state media confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in...
A number of senior Iranian figures have reportedly been killed in Saturday’s joint U.S.–Israeli airstrikes on Iran, according to Irania...
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved an $8.1 billion, four-year Extended Fund Facility programme for Ukraine on Thursday, aimed at preserving macroeconomic and financial stability as the war with Russia continues into its fifth year.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday (26 February) accused Ukraine of threatening Europe’s energy security by halting oil flows through the Druzhba oil pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, arrived in Geneva and may hold talks with U.S. officials, according to the RIA news agency.
Russia has claimed its forces have taken control of a village in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv’s new Flamingo missiles successfully struck targets deep inside Russian territory, underscoring the continuing intensity of the conflict.
Follow the latest developments and global reaction after the U.S. and Israel launched “major combat operations” in Iran, prompting retaliation from Tehran.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are escalating, with Washington ordering a significant military build-up in the region and multiple countries evacuating diplomatic staff amid fears of further instability.
Governments across the region responded swiftly to Israel’s strikes on Iran, closing airspace, issuing travel advisories and activating contingency plans amid fears of escalation.
Two people were killed and around 40 injured when a tram derailed in central Milan on Friday (27 February), a spokesperson for the local fire service said.
A senior Iranian official has warned Israel to “prepare for what is coming”, insisting that Tehran’s response to the latest escalation in the Middle East will be made openly and without limits.
Protests broke out in Pakistan and Iraq on Sunday after Iranian state media confirmed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in joint U.S.–Israeli strikes. At least nine people were reported dead in clashes near the U.S. consulate in Karachi.
Afghanistan said it had fired at Pakistani aircraft over Kabul after explosions and gunfire rocked the capital early on Sunday, marking a sharp escalation in fighting between the two neighbours.
A senior Iranian official has warned Israel to “prepare for what is coming”, insisting that Tehran’s response to the latest escalation in the Middle East will be made openly and without limits.
Cuba has released extensive details of a deadly midweek shootout at sea, showing rifles, pistols and nearly 13,000 rounds of ammunition that it says were carried by a group of exiles who attempted to enter the island by speedboat.
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers said on Friday (27 February) they were ready to negotiate after Pakistan bombed their forces in several Afghan cities, including Kabul and Kandahar, and Islamabad declared the neighbours were now in "open war".
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment