The three Baltic states and Poland are recommending withdrawing from an international agreement banning landmines as the frontline Nato countries respond to the rising threat of Russian aggression.
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland said on Tuesday that they needed “the flexibility and freedom of choice” to defend the western defence alliance’s “vulnerable eastern flank” with Russia and Belarus.
“Military threats to Nato member states bordering Russia and Belarus have significantly increased,” the countries said in a joint statement. “In light of this unstable security environment marked by Russia’s aggression and its ongoing threat to the Euro-Atlantic community, it is essential to evaluate all measures to strengthen our deterrence and defence capabilities.”
The move is one of the latest signs of concern among Nato states bordering Russia over how to defend themselves against their eastern neighbour following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Finland has also started a debate about withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel landmines, and senior parliamentarians have said a positive vote could come before the summer.
Hanno Pevkur, Estonia’s defence minister, said the country’s defence forces saw no need at present to adopt previously banned landmines.
“Throughout the entire discussion on anti-personnel landmines, we have adhered to the principle that decisions regarding the Ottawa Convention should be made in solidarity and co-ordination within the region,” he said. “At the same time, we currently have no plans to develop, stockpile, or use previously banned anti-personnel landmines.”
All four countries are rapidly increasing their defence spending in response to Russian aggression, which includes recent sabotage attacks in the Baltics and Poland. Lithuania, Estonia and Poland have all endorsed spending 5 per cent of GDP on defence, a level proposed by US President Donald Trump as the new norm for Nato members above the current goal of 2 per cent.
Poland’s withdrawal from the more than two-decade old Ottawa Convention was already flagged by Prime Minister Donald Tusk in a landmark speech to parliament earlier this month in which he also set the goals of doubling the size of the armed forces and turning Poland into a nuclear power to help deter Russian aggression. Tusk also told lawmakers that Warsaw could “possibly” withdraw from another treaty, the Dublin Convention on cluster munitions that was agreed in 2008.
On the use of such bombs, Tusk told lawmakers: “Let’s face it: it’s not something nice, nothing pleasant. We know that very well . . . The problem is that in our environment, those we may be afraid of, or those who are at war, they all have it.”
Amnesty International and other human rights organisations have urged countries to abide by international conventions, not only to protect civilians during wars but also to reduce the risks for them once conflicts end. Cluster bombs, for example, leave “large areas with unexploded ordnance for years or even decades”, according to Amnesty. “Unexploded munitions become de facto minefields.”
Lithuania’s defence ministry said it would continue respecting the principles of international law regarding the protection of civilians and would take “all measures” to mitigate any possible humanitarian consequences caused by landmines.
Russia has said that it plans to significantly increase the number of troops facing the Baltic states and Finland, but western intelligence officials say it has been unable to do so due to the current need in fighting Ukraine. The US and Russian presidents are due to talk later on Tuesday about a possible peace deal over Ukraine.
