President Joe Biden’s administration has granted permission for the use of anti-personnel landmines in Ukraine, marking a policy shift just weeks before Biden leaves office.
The United States has provided Ukraine with anti-tank mines throughout its war with Russia but has opposed the use of smaller anti-personnel devices.
In an emailed statement, a Pentagon spokesperson announced the decision approving such weapons for Ukraine.
The anti-personnel landmines could help slow Russian advances across Ukraine, but the move also raises concerns that civilians may be harmed if they stumble across an area booby-trapped with such weapons.
The Pentagon spokesperson said the landmines provided would be specialized non-persistent anti-personnel landmines that become inert after a preset perio
The spokesperson said the Ukrainian forces have also committed to not deploy these weapons in areas populated by civilians.
The moves to free up weapons for Ukraine and relax the rules around their use could escalate the conflict, which started in 2022.
The possibility of a direct confrontation between the United States and Russia could prove an early challenge for President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump has signaled that he prefers to quickly negotiate an end to the conflict once he takes office in January.
Following Trump’s win in the Nov. 5 presidential election, the Biden administration signaled its intent to ramp up support for Ukraine as much as possible before Biden’s term ends.
“We are working to get all of it out of the door, all of the drawdown authority, out of the door to Ukraine before the end of this term,” Miller said.
“And when it comes to the sovereign assets, we have also made clear that we’re trying to operationalize that money as well before the end of the term.”
The package includes unspecified “ammunition” for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems—a missile launcher system that can fire a variety of rockets and missiles, including the longer-ranged Army Tactical Missile System ballistic missile.
The new arms package also includes 155 mm and 105 mm artillery shells; 60 mm and 81 mm mortar rounds; Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided anti-tank missiles; Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems; small arms and ammunition; demolitions munitions and equipment; chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear protective equipment; and a variety of other spare parts and ancillary equipment.
