Following Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, the country will be able to quickly begin producing anti-personnel landmines without the need to amend national legislation.
MP Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense, and intelligence, said this at a briefing on Wednesday, July 2, Ukrinform reports.
“I believe Ukraine will be able to rapidly establish production of landmines to deter enemy advances,” he said.
According to Venislavskyi, this will not require any changes to domestic legislation: “Terminating and denouncing the Ottawa Convention will be sufficient for both state-owned and private manufacturers in Ukraine to begin producing these types of weapons.”
He said that preparations for such production are already underway.
“Preparations for this kind of manufacturing are progressing actively. I believe we’ll be able to quickly launch and deploy these tools for deterring enemy infantry,” he said.
The MP also noted that once Ukraine has formally exited the Convention, it would be able to procure or purchase this type of mine from countries that either never signed or have also withdrawn from the treaty.
“Leaving the Convention is an important step toward strengthening our defense capabilities,” he added.
President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier signed a decree enacting the decision of the National Security and Defense Council for Ukraine to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention.
