The latest such help came Wednesday when the Biden administration announced it will allow Ukraine to use anti-personnel land mines to mitigate Russia’s battlefield progress, undoing a policy the president had previously set at the beginning of his term.
A U.S. official confirmed the U.S. will “soon supply Ukraine with non-persistent anti-personnel land mines (APLs).”
“These mines are designed to rapidly blunt advances by ground forces, significantly enhancing Ukraine’s defensive capabilities, particularly in the east, when combined with other U.S.-supplied munitions,” the official said.
The U.S. has already supplied Ukraine with anti-tank mines for use against Russia. But in 2022, President Biden reversed a Trump administration policy that had allowed for the use of APLs, returning to an Obama-era policy that had banned their use except in South Korea.
Russia has already been using land mines in Ukraine. Anti-personnel land mines have faced pushback from activists, human rights and arms control groups because they can linger for years after a conflict has ended and pose a threat to civilians.
There was similar pushback in 2023, when Biden approved cluster munitions for Ukraine. Those munitions can also remain on fields and across towns long after the war.
The U.S. official said that Washington has “secured commitments from Ukraine regarding the responsible use of these mines to minimize risks to civilians.”
The move comes as Ukraine is looking to push back against a larger Russian military, which is encroaching on Ukrainian positions across the 600-mile front and with particular force in the Donetsk region.
It also comes after Trump has vowed to end the war, spurring concerns he may cede territory in eastern Ukraine seized by Russia.
Biden also is rushing the last of some $9 billion in security aid to Ukraine before inauguration day on Jan. 20. The latest package of some $275 million on Wednesday did not include APLs.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
