Lithuania withdrew from the Mine Ban Treaty because of Russia

Lithuania has withdrawn from the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines. This decision was supported by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.

The Minister of Defense of Lithuania, Dovilė Šakalienė, announced it on the social network X on Thursday, May 8.

Lithuania withdraws from the Ottawa Convention — details

The Lithuanian Parliament has approved the withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines. The Seimas argues this decision by the need to strengthen its security in the context of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.

The Head of the Ministry of Defense of Lithuania noted that, thanks to this decision, "the boots of Russian soldiers will never cross the Lithuanian border."

"We've withdrawn from the Ottawa Convention. It was a tough but necessary decision. We're preparing to notify the UN depository of Lithuania's decision and later begin mine production and acquisition. Russia uses everything in Ukraine🇺🇦 to kill innocent people. We will use every possible and impossible means to deter and, if needed, defend. Russian soldiers' boots will never cross our borders again," the Minister of Defense of Lithuania wrote.

In particular, the country's defense ministry reported that the decision should come into force six months after Lithuania officially informs the UN.

It should be noted that the Baltic countries, Poland, and Finland have also announced their intention to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines due to the Russian threat.

As a reminder, the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (Ottawa Convention) is an international agreement (treaty, convention) aimed at ending the use of anti-personnel mines as a means of armed conflict.

Earlier, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda stated that his country is preparing for a possible Russian offensive against NATO countries by 2030. According to him, this offensive could be the next stage in the expansion of aggression to the West.

In April of this year, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania.