Russian Foreign Ministry says U.S. encourages Kiev to violate Ottawa Convention by supplying mines

The USA encourages the Kiev regime to violate its obligations under the Ottawa Convention when it supplies the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) with anti-personnel mines. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on December 11.

"By its actions, the United States literally encourages the Kiev regime to violate its obligations under the Ottawa Convention, and Ukraine has been a party to this document since 2005," the diplomat said at a briefing.

The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman recalled that recently Cambodia hosted a conference of the countries-participants of the Convention on the prohibition of anti-personnel mines. Against this background, Washington's actions are a clear example of hypocrisy and a policy of double standards with regard to international legal instruments, including the Ottawa Convention.

In addition, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (term expired May 20) refusing US President-elect Donald Trump's proposals for conflict resolution, it is clear to everyone that "achieving peace in Ukraine is not a priority for Kiev."

"The long-lost legitimacy of Ukraine's alleged leader Zelensky <...> has once again stated that he will not agree to any peace agreements without a security guarantee, by which he means the country's membership in NATO Why all this? Because achieving peace is not a priority for the Kiev regime," Zakharova pointed out.

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Earlier, on 4 December, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) said that the USA was violating international humanitarian law by supplying Ukraine with anti-personnel mines. Representatives of the organization specified that anti-personnel mines were banned 25 years ago because of their indiscriminate nature and the devastating damage they cause to humans.

Before that, on December 2, the Associated Press agency noted that the USA was preparing to transfer a $725m military aid package to Ukraine. According to the newspaper, the military aid package will include anti-drone systems and anti-personnel mines.

Prior to that, on November 24, The Washington Post reported that incumbent US President Joe Biden had approved the delivery of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine in order to "deter the advance of Russian troops". WP recalled that he renewed the ban on the use of such mines in 2022, effectively reversing the decision of his predecessor Donald Trump.

The Ottawa Treaty, or Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, signed on December 3, 1997, provides for a ban on the use, stockpiling, and production and transfer of anti-personnel mines. More than 160 states are parties to the treaty, and Ukraine ratified it in 2005.

Western countries have increased their military and financial support for Ukraine against the background of the Russian special operation to protect Donbas, which began on February 24, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin made the decision to hold the operation because of the aggravation of the situation in the region due to the increased shelling by Ukrainian troops.