Zelensky signed a decree on Ukraine"s withdrawal from an important international agreement

Zelensky signed a decree on Ukraine's withdrawal from the international convention banning anti-personnel mines

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky officially approved the decision on the country's withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, which imposes a ban on the production and use of anti-personnel mines. This information was shared by People's Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Roman Kostenko through his social media accounts. According to his message, the president enacted the corresponding decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

At the time of publication, the official text of the presidential decree had not yet appeared on the head of state's website.

The Ottawa Convention, adopted on December 3, 1997, and in effect since March 1, 1999, establishes a complete ban on the use, storage, production, and transfer of anti-personnel mines. According to the terms of the document, all participating countries are obligated to eliminate existing arsenals of this type of weapon. Currently, 163 countries worldwide are parties to the agreement.

It is worth noting that the Baltic countries had previously announced their withdrawal from the convention. The legislative bodies of Poland and Finland have also expressed support for the idea of denouncing this international agreement.