US cites new Russian tactics for decision to supply landmines to Ukraine

The US decision to send anti-personnel landmines to Ukraine — in a major policy shift — was triggered by a change in Russian battlefield tactics favoring infantry over mechanized units, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday.

“They don’t lead with their mechanized forces anymore,” Austin told reporters while on a visit to Laos. “They lead with dismounted forces who are able to close and do things to kind of pave the way for mechanized forces.”

The Ukrainians “have a need for things that can help slow down that effort on the part of the Russians.”

President Joe Biden’s reversal of his previous curbs on US landmines comes just days after Washington gave Ukraine the green light to use US-made long-range missiles on targets within Russia, as the outgoing administration aims to give Kyiv an upper hand before President-elect Donald Trump enters office.

Biden in 2022 said the United States would mostly ban its use of landmines, at the time specifically drawing a contrast with Russia’s use of the weapons in Ukraine.

The reversal comes amid concerns about the incoming Trump administration’s lack of support for Kyiv.