NATO Nations Exit Landmine Ban Due To Russia Threat
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Four Eastern European NATO members have announced their intention to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty banning landmines, citing escalating security concerns due to Russian aggression along NATO’s eastern border.
Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, all former Soviet states particularly concerned about their proximity to Russia, have instructed their governments to exit the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction.
Despite acknowledging their commitment to humanitarian principles, these nations’ defense ministers argue that the treaty’s restrictions hamper their defensive capabilities against Russian threats.
The 1997 Ottawa Convention one of the key international agreements concluded during the US unipolar moment.
Lithuania, Poland, Latvia and Estonia today conclude it wasn't stress tested for an aggressive Russia on their borders. https://t.co/MUUPVfIVWV pic.twitter.com/OfM7ae8IkE
— Thorsten Benner (@thorstenbenner) March 18, 2025
“Since the ratification… the security situation in our region has fundamentally deteriorated,” the ministers wrote in their joint communication, highlighting “Russia’s aggression and its ongoing threat” to NATO’s “vulnerable eastern flank.”
The countries emphasized their need for unrestricted military options, stating: “It is of paramount importance to provide our defence forces with flexibility and freedom of choice of potential use of new weapon systems” and that “we are sending a clear message: our countries are prepared and can use every necessary measure to defend our territory and freedom.”
This development exposes the fragility of international treaties, which nations often observe only when convenient. The world’s major military powers – the United States, China, and Russia – never joined the Ottawa Treaty, and no international authority exists to enforce compliance.
Did you know NATO is setting up a massive military base right on Romania’s border with Ukraine?
Meanwhile we’re supposed to believe the story that it’s just a 'coincidence' that Călin Georgescu, one of the few who dared to oppose it, is being barred from the elections…
😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/gkALfSGBCv— Richard (@ricwe123) March 19, 2025
The Russian military has deployed antipersonnel landmines extensively throughout its Ukrainian campaign. While the United States initially hesitated to provide these controversial weapons to Ukraine, it later reversed its position. The Biden administration justified this decision by citing Russia’s shift to infantry-based tactics, making the announcement shortly after Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, despite Ukraine being a party to the Ottawa Treaty.
