Poland and Baltic nations plan to pull out from landmines treaty

NATO members Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia plan to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty – which bans anti-personnel mines – claiming military threat from their neighbor Russia, the four countries said on Tuesday.

Quitting the 1997 convention, which has been ratified or acceded to by more than 160 nations, will allow Poland and the three Baltic countries to start stockpiling landmines again.

"Military threats to NATO member states bordering Russia and Belarus have significantly increased," the countries' defense ministers said in a joint statement.

"With this decision we are sending a clear message: our countries are prepared and can use every necessary measure to defend our security needs," they said.

The planned withdrawal was done to allow an effective protection of the region's borders, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene said in a separate statement.

Finland said in December it was also considering pulling out of the international agreement because of what it claims as Russia's use of such weapons in Ukraine.