War in Ukraine: Biden approves new weapons for Kyiv

The United States will also provide Ukraine with anti-personnel mines to strengthen its defense against the Russian invasion, according to a US official. A US official told the AFP news agency on Tuesday. These are therefore anti-personnel mines that are equipped with a self-destruction or deactivation device. The Washington Post newspaper previously reported.

According to the report, US President Joe Biden ordered the delivery of mines to Ukraine. Biden has moved away from his previous position in order to help Ukraine in its defense against the Russian army, the Washington Post reported, citing senior US government representatives. The reason for the change of opinion in the White House is the steady advance of Russian troops in Donbass. According to the Pentagon, the delivery of these mines is an effective means of slowing the advance of Russian units.

However, the use of these mines, also known as anti-personnel mines, is limited to the east of Ukraine. In addition, special mines should be delivered that self-destruct after a certain period of time or whose battery charge is limited in time. According to the newspaper’s report, Ukrainian military officials have already agreed not to plant these mines in densely populated areas. The Russian military has laid dense minefields on the edge of the occupied territories in Ukraine, thereby derailing a Ukrainian offensive.

On Sunday, the USA allowed Ukraine to use the longer-range weapons supplied by Washington against military targets in the Russian interior. Kyiv had been demanding the green light for the operation for months.

The decision comes against the backdrop of the inauguration of US presidential election winner Donald Trump in January. During the election campaign, the designated head of state announced that he would massively reduce support for Kiev in its defensive war against Russia. Outgoing President Joe Biden is working to support Ukraine’s war effort in the final months of his term.

The use of mines is internationally banned. The so-called Ottawa Convention of 1999, which came into force in 1999, prohibits the use, production and transfer of these insidious weapons, which, even long after hostilities, find their victims primarily among the civilian population in the respective regions. The convention was signed and ratified by 164 states, but not by Russia and the USA. Ukraine ratified the paper in 2005.