President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed Decree No. 441/2025 to enact a National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) decision on Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention—the global treaty that outlaws anti-personnel mines.
“Reality at the front demands this step,”
MP Roman Kostenko (Holos) noted. “The enemy faces no limits; Ukraine cannot stay bound while Russians mine our troops and civilians.”
What happens next?
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Parliamentary vote
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The Verkhovna Rada must ratify the withdrawal.
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Government notification
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Upon approval, the Cabinet of Ministers will formally notify the United Nations.
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Six-month clock
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180 days after the UN receives notice, Ukraine’s treaty obligations end, and Kyiv may:
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produce anti-personnel mines,
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stockpile them,
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deploy them on the battlefield.
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Why is Kyiv leaving?
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Asymmetry: Russia never joined the Ottawa Convention and “massively uses mines,” Kostenko stressed.
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Defensive flexibility: Ukrainian commanders say treaty limits hamper effective area denial and perimeter defense.
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Regional precedent:
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Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland have announced similar exits.
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Finland voted to withdraw after joining NATO, citing the intensified threat from Moscow.
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Official text (NSDC directive)
“The Cabinet of Ministers shall immediately ensure measures for Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (18 Sept 1997).”
Broader context
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1997 Ottawa Treaty: ratified by 164 states; bans APMs and mandates destruction of stockpiles.
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Exemptions: Major military powers—including Russia, the United States, China, and India—are not parties, leaving large stockpiles outside the treaty’s scope.
Ukraine’s exit would mark the first wartime withdrawal by a treaty member, underlining how Moscow’s full-scale invasion continues to reshape European security norms.
