Poland and the Baltic states - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - have taken a first step towards quitting a treaty banning anti-personnel mines, citing an increased security threat from Russia following its war with Ukraine.
The defence ministers for the four EU and NATO member states, which all share a border with Russia, said in a joint statement on Tuesday that military threats "have significantly increased".
The four ex-communist countries have ramped up defence spending and training since Russian troops attacked Ukraine in 2022, voicing fears that Russia could target them next.
"In light of this unstable security environment marked by Russia's aggression and its ongoing threat to the Euro-Atlantic community, it is essential to evaluate all measures to strengthen our deterrence and defence capabilities," the statement said.
"We... unanimously recommend withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention," it said.
"Despite our withdrawal, we will remain committed to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians during an armed conflict," it added.
More than 160 countries and territories are signatories to the Ottawa Convention, including Ukraine but not the United States or Russia.
The treaty bans signatories from acquiring, producing, stockpiling or using anti-personnel mines, which are designed to be buried or hidden on the ground.
They often mutilate victims, who are not immediately killed, and aid groups decry their long-term impact on civilians.
Lithuania earlier this month quit another treaty banning cluster bombs citing security concerns over the threat from Moscow, sparking outrage from human rights watchdogs.
A statement said the United States would align policy to "the international treaty prohibiting the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel landmines".
‘Wrong signal’
Amnesty International called the move "disastrous", while Human Rights Watch said it was "alarming", and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned it "weakens vital protections for civilians".
Meanwhile, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) raised serious concerns over growing threats to the Mine Ban Treaty and potential withdrawals from the Convention.
"Such moves would not only put their own populations’ lives in danger, but would also send the wrong signal at the worst possible time, aligning these countries with those who seek to weaken international norms, not those who defend them," it said in a statement.
Lithuanian parliament speaker Saulius Skvernelis said on Tuesday that the decision on mines was necessary "given the length of the border with countries that are not friendly to us and what is happening in Ukraine".
Lithuania has a border with Russia and its ally Belarus, which was used by Russian troops as a launch point for the war in Ukraine.
"The enemy that is fighting, unfortunately, is not bound by any conventions," Skvernelis said.
Latvia in a statement said that it could produce mines but "any possible acquisition, deployment and use of unguided anti-personnel mines will be based on military logic and defence capability development priorities".
Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said his country currently had no plans to use anti-personnel mines at the moment.
"Estonia and our regional allies remain committed to upholding international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians, even after withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention," he added.
Withdrawal from the convention needs to be approved by national parliaments before other signatories are notified.
The withdrawal comes into effect six months after parliamentary approval.
