The Ottawa Convention led to the destruction of over 55 million mines, and global use fell sharply, with annual casualties dropping from more than 20,000 to about 3,500 over the past 20 years, according to the Red Cross. Regardless, the Times explains the countries' decision to leave the treaty won't translate into a quick resurgence of land mines: It takes six months to formally withdraw; Ukraine's case is even further complicated by the fact that the treaty's terms prohibit a country that is engaged in war from exiting. The Times notes Ukraine, unlike many other countries, did not destroy its stocks of the banned mines and still has 3 million of them; the US, which never signed on to the treaty, agreed in November to send Ukraine additional mines.
Author: Kate Seamons with Newser.AI
Published at: 2025-07-13 22:00:00
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