March 18, 2025 (EIRNS)—Lithuania’s Defense Ministry announced today that Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland will withdraw from the 1997 Ottawa Convention, an international treaty banning the use, production, and stockpiling of anti-personnel mines. The countries’ defense ministers argue that the military threats from Russia and Belarus have “significantly increased” and the security situation has “fundamentally deteriorated.” Their joint statement asserts: “Given the volatile security environment, all measures to strengthen deterrence and defense capabilities must be assessed.” The withdrawal from the treaty now goes to their parliaments for approval.