On the suggestion of the Imperial Russian Cabinet, a military international commission assembled in St Petersburg to discuss the possibility of prohibiting, in the time of war between civilised nations, a certain kind of projectile. After the commission defined, by mutual consent, the technical boundaries within which the requirements of war must stop before the requirements of humanity, the undersigned were authorised by their Governments to declare the following:
Mindful:
- that the successes of civilisation must reduce the evils of war;
- that the only lawful goal sought by states during war is to weaken the opponent's military forces;
- that to achieve that aim, it is enough to disable the maximum possible number of people;
- that the use of such arms after inflicting a wound on the opponent to increase the suffering of disabled people without purpose or to make their deaths inevitable must be recognised as failing in this purpose;
- and that the use of such weapons would conflict with the laws of humanity.
The contracting parties undertake, in case of war between them, to mutually renounce the use, by both land and naval forces, of projectiles under 400 grammes weight that have an explosive capacity or are equipped with an impact or combustible device.
They undertake to invite all states whose authorised representatives did not take part in the meetings of the military international commission in St Petersburg to adhere to the present treaty. This treaty is binding only on the contracting parties or parties that adhere to it afterwards, in case of war between two or several of them; it is not binding on parties that have not signed the treaty or that did not join it afterwards.
In turn, the treaty ceases to remain binding when during war between two parties that signed or adhered to the treaty, a party that did not sign or adhere to the treaty joins one of the warring parties.
The contracting and adhering parties reserve the right to later enter into a new agreement between them each time a certain proposal is made following scientific improvements in troop armaments, in order to maintain the established principles, and to agree on the requirements of war and the laws of humanity amongst themselves.