Lithuania exits anti-personnel mine convention amid Russo-Belarusian threats

Lithuania officially announced its withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines on 8 May 2025. The decision was passed by the Seimas, Lithuania’s parliament, with 107 votes in favor and three abstentions. The withdrawal, as stated by the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense on X, will take effect in six months.

The Seimas’ official press release said the decision was driven by a “substantial deterioration” in regional security and “significantly increased military threats” to Lithuania and other NATO states bordering Russia and Belarus.

Seimas backs expansion of military capabilities

Member of the Seimas Foreign Affairs Committee, Ruslanas Baranovas, urged support for the bill during the session.

“By agreeing to withdraw from the Convention, we will also add this element to our military arsenal. We do this so that, knowing that we have such capabilities, opponents will think twice before deciding to act against us,” he said.

Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Dovilė Šakalienė previously argued that withdrawal would boost battlefield efficiency.

Remigijus Motuzas, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, stated that “all states bordering the territory of Russia have de-ratified this Convention or are in the process of doing so.” He warned that in the event of aggression, “Russia or Belarus would heavily mine these territories.”

Regional coordination behind treaty exit

In March, the defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Poland, and Lithuania issued a joint statement calling for withdrawal from the Convention. Finland began its own withdrawal procedure on 1 April 2025.