Kyiv set to quit anti-landmine treaty – DW – 06/29/2025

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, signed a decree putting his country on track to leave the anti-landmine Ottawa Convention, according to a document published on a presidential website.

“I hereby decree … to put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine dated June 29, 2025 on Ukraine’s withdrawal” from the Ottawa convention, Zelenskyy said.

The decision to quit the convention must be ratified by the Ukrainian parliament and communicated to the United Nations before going into effect.

Ukraine’s move follows similar steps recently taken by the Baltic States and Poland.

The 1997 Ottawa treaty bans the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel landmines in an effort to protect civilians from explosives that can maim or kill long after the fighting has ended.

In recent months, Russia has intensified its offensive operations in Ukraine and seized more territory, exploiting its significant advantage in manpower.

Sergei Naryshkin, the director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), said he had spoken with John Ratcliffe, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

“I had a phone call with my American counterpart, and we reserved for each other the possibility to call each other at any time and discuss issues of interest to us,” Naryshkin told Kremlin state television reporter Pavel Zarubin.

Naryshkin did not provide further details about his call with Ratcliffe.

The CIA and the SVR, the successor to the KGB’s First Chief Directorate, have long been intense rivals. Each service resorted to public campaigns to recruit agents in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

According to Russian media, Naryshkin’s last known call with the CIA director took place in March 2025.

The war against Ukraine is the biggest foreign policy issue for Germany, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told Funke media, warning that Russia must not be underestimated. 

He also said the war was the biggest threat to security within Europe. 

“Russia directly threatens our peaceful and free life in Germany,” he said in the interview, published on Sunday. 

Wadephul is a senior member of new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative party. He has previously criticized Russia’s Vladimir Putin for indiscriminate bombing in Ukraine. 

A Ukrainian pilot has been killed and his F-16 fighter jet lost as Ukraine’s military forces worked to repel a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack. 

Ukraine’s military confirmed the loss on Sunday morning.

This is the third such loss of an F-16 fighter jet since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the military said. 

“The pilot used all of his onboard weapons and shot down seven air targets. While shooting down the last one, his aircraft was damaged and began to lose altitude,” Ukraine’s air force said on the Telegram messaging app.

The pilot flew the jet away from civilian settlements and did not have time to eject to save himself, the message read. 

Russia launched a fresh wave attack on Ukraine overnight, targeting the country’s central, southern and western region. Some 500 aerial weapons were deployed including drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, Ukraine’s military said.

At least three people were injured and there were reports of damaged houses and other infrastructure.

Air raid sirens sounded across the country, including the western region which is considerably far from the Russian front lines.

“To repel the massive attack, all available means of the defense forces that can operate on enemy air assets were deployed,” Ukraine’s military said.

Reports cited the operational command of the Polish Armed Forces saying they scrambled fighter jets and activated ground-based air defenses in response to the raids in Ukraine which were close to Poland’s border.

This comes after Ukraine’s air force had warned of an attack involving Russian bombers and drones on Saturday evening. 

RBK-Ukraine, a local news agency, reported explosions in Kyiv overnight. 

Ukraine’s military said Russia had launched some 477 drones and 60 missiles but that 211 of the drones and 38 of the missiles had been intercepted and destroyed. A total of 226 targets were reported as lost, most likely due to electronic jamming.

We are following the latest developments concerning Russia’s war in Ukraine. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin, once again, has said he is ready for a round of peace talks with Ukraine. This would be the third such round of talks, should they materialize. Meanwhile, Russia continued to strike parts of Ukraine with drones and missiles. 

US President Donald Trump said he believed something could soon happen that could bring Russia’s war in Ukraine to an end, referencing a recent phone call with Putin but providing no further details.