Five countries on NATO’s eastern flank are walking away from a landmark global treaty banning anti-personnel landmines. The move signals a dramatic shift in Europe’s defense posture as fears grow that Russia’s aggression may not stop with Ukraine.
Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland all announced plans to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention of 1997, an international treaty that banned the production, stockpiling and use of anti-personnel landmines. The agreement, famously championed by Princess Diana and then-U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, was long viewed as a major humanitarian achievement. But these NATO members now say the security realities of 2025 leave them no choice.
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Why are five NATO members considering creating minefields?
All five countries cited growing fears that Russia and its close ally Belarus could eventually launch a broader offensive into NATO territory. Leaders are reportedly drafting contingency plans to deploy minefields along vulnerable sections of NATO’s eastern frontier, potentially forming what U.K. media have dubbed a “new Iron Curtain” spanning more than 2,100 miles.
Poland’s parliament has already approved a measure to formally withdraw from the treaty. During debate on the bill, Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz defended the decision, stating: “Poland cannot put itself in a straitjacket that would prevent us from defending our homeland.”
He confirmed Warsaw is working in coordination with Finland and the Baltic states, all of which are preparing their own exits from the Ottawa Convention, also known as the Mine Ban Treaty.
Would the whole border with Russia be mined?
The region’s geography — and history — are driving this shift. Much of NATO’s eastern edge is covered by forests, lakes and sparsely populated terrain, making minefields a potentially effective deterrent.
But the most strategically sensitive area is the Suwałki Gap in southern Lithuania. It’s a narrow land corridor connecting the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to Belarus. If Russian forces attempted to seize the gap, it could split NATO’s eastern flank and give Moscow increased access to the Baltic Sea.
Norway, the only NATO country sharing a border with Russia that has not announced plans to abandon the treaty, has so far opted against deploying landmines.
The decisions to exit the treaty were made public just ahead of the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, where member states approved a sweeping increase in defense spending. Under the new pledge, NATO allies are expected to invest 5% of their GDP in defense and related security measures by 2035. That’s up from the previous target of 2%.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized the urgency of the moment when he said: “Countries have to find the money. This is not easy. These are political decisions. I totally recognize that. But at the same time, there is absolute conviction with my colleagues at the table that given the threat from the Russians, given the international security situation, there is no alternative. We’ve got to do this.”
Russia undeterred by US, European pressure to stop fighting
In the days following the summit, Russia launched some of its largest drone and missile strikes of the war against Ukrainian cities. Meanwhile, the U.S. temporarily paused some weapons shipments to Ukraine, creating uncertainty about future support from Washington.
Regarding the push for more landmines, the United Nations also expressed concern. In a post to X, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: “We must uphold humanitarian norms & accelerate mine action. The protection of innocent lives depends on our collective action & commitment.”
Under treaty rules, countries must give six months’ notice before officially leaving and cannot be engaged in active armed conflict during that period.
Russia never signed the Ottawa Convention, and used landmines extensively in Ukraine. Human Rights Watch also accused Ukraine of using rocket-deployed mines in 2022.
NATO members beefing up defense budgets
The broader context is one of rapidly evolving defense postures across Europe. In 2014, only three NATO members met the 2% GDP defense spending benchmark. By 2025, all are expected to meet or exceed it.
NATO says its European and Canadian members have more than doubled collective defense investment over the past decade — from 1.43% of GDP in 2014 to over 2% in 2024, amounting to over $485 billion.
Now, as some countries consider reintroducing weapons once considered too inhumane for modern warfare, the alliance’s renewed focus is clear: deterrence at all costs.
