Published: 12:01, July 16, 2025
Ukraine suspends participation in Ottawa Convention on landmine ban
By Xinhua
People walk past a banner protesting against the will to withdrawal from the Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention of Estonia, Latvia, Luthuania, Finland and Poland displayed on the "Broken Chair", a monumental wood sculpture installed in front of the Palace of Nations, which houses the United Nations offices in Geneva, on June 5, 2025. (PHOTO / AFP)

KIEV - The Ukrainian parliament has voted to temporarily suspend the country's participation in the Ottawa Convention, an international treaty that prohibits the use of anti-personnel landmines, a parliament member announced on Tuesday.

The motion was passed with 299 votes in favor, above a required minimum of 226, lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak said in a post on Telegram.

READ MORE: Zelensky okays Ukraine's withdrawal from treaty banning anti-personnel mines

The government-run Ukrinform news agency said one of the reasons for this decision is "the asymmetric conditions," given that Russia is not a party to the convention, adding that the suspension would last until the complete cessation of the conflict.

Ukraine ratified the convention in 2005. Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree to withdraw the country from the treaty.