Lithuania opened the ball by leaving uniquely, Thursday, March 6, the Dublin International Convention prohibiting the bombs with submunition. Poland could quickly follow its example by withdrawing from the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti -personnel Mines, signed in Ottawa in 1997. The two countries justify it by invoking security concerns linked to neighboring Russia and its progress on Ukrainian territory. This dynamic could well gain ground in a Europe that seeks to increase its defense capacities in a tense international context.
At least two other NATO countries, Finland and Lithuania, which have a common border with Russia, have also considered in recent months to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention. Last December, Finnish Minister of Defense Antti Häkkänen revealed that the reintroduction of anti -personnel mines in the army arsenal was being studied since the summer. A possibility which, for Finland as for Poland, has “nothing fun, nothing pleasant,” said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. But “we are faced with a very serious race, and it is a safety race,” he insisted in front of his Parliament on Friday, March 7.
The use of mines and submunition bombs is strongly criticized by human rights associations, including Amnesty International, which alerted against the ravages of these weapons in Ukraine. But none of the two treaties was signed neither by Russia, who cheerfully uses them in his invasion or by the United States.
What objectives for European countries behind these withdrawals? Preparing for the worst, adapting their armaments to Moscow’s military capacities, but also sending a “strategic message indicating that we are ready to use absolutely everything” to defend the country, said Dovile Sakaliene, Lithuanian Minister of Defense.
Baltic countries are largely investing in their armaments
Several European countries have recently increased their arms budget, in particular Baltic countries, the most exposed to the Russian threat. Estonia and Latvia are among the few NATO countries to invest more than 3 % of their GDP for their defense budget, followed closely by Lithuania, with 2.8 %.
In Poland, President Andrzej Duda had announced, even before Donald Tusk’s proposal, having proposed an amendment to register in the Polish constitution the minimum level of expenses in the defense up to 4 % of GDP, double what NATO required so far.
Donald Tusk also also said that his country was analyzing “carefully” the idea proposed by France to extend the nuclear umbrella to other European countries, announcing having “serious discussions with the French” on the subject. He considered this proposal to be “very promising”, while promising that Poland would use “all the possibilities available to increase its defense”.