Withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention involves key procedural hurdles for Ukraine – Fedir Venislavskyi

Ukraine’s exit from the Ottawa Treaty on anti-personnel mines comes with several procedural caveats, lawmaker Fedir Venislavskyi told the press during a Media Center Ukraine briefing.

Venislavskyi, MP, Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, noted that once a state submits its denunciation, “all treaty obligations lapse after six months.” Yet the convention also holds that if the country is at war when it gives notice, the clock pauses “until the armed conflict ends,” he said.

“Ukraine was dragged into this war after signaling its intention to leave the Ottawa Convention,” Venislavskyi continued. “Therefore, we must remove the restrictions on using anti-personnel mines. Our committee unanimously backed withdrawal; the full parliament still has to vote, and the president will soon instruct the Cabinet of Ministers to draft legislation formally denouncing the Ottawa Convention.”

The lawmaker added that the nature of russia’s invasion has already prompted several neighbors, including Poland and the Baltic states, to rethink their adherence to the accord.

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