Finland Pulls Out of Ottawa Mine Ban Pact

Finnish President Alexander Stubb approved the country’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Treaty that bans the use of anti-personnel landmines, citing a “deteriorated security situation.”

Finland’s decision will take effect six months after it officially notifies the UN.

The decision was voted on by the country’s parliament in June and required Stubb’s approval to be finalized.

Stubb, commenting on the decision on Friday, cited threats from Moscow as the reason for the withdrawal.

“Finland is not facing an immediate military threat, but the changes in the operating environment require that we strengthen our defense,” Stubb said in a statementreported by AFP.

Stubb said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlights its threats to Finland, considering their shared borders and the fact that Russia is not a party to the Ottawa Treaty.

“We have a long border with Russia, which is not a party to the Ottawa Agreement. We have seen how Russia wages war today,” he added.

Satellite imagery in May and June has shown Russian military expansions on the Finnish border.

Finnish Parliament Speaker Jussi Halla-aho told Kyiv Post in February that Finland’s 900,000-strong reserve force awaits Russia if the latter decides to invade, with a reserve force of 280,000 troops that can be deployed quickly if needed.

Mass withdrawal from Ottawa Treaty

As such, Finland became the latest to withdraw from the treaty, following similar decisions made by a number of Eastern European nations bordering Russia.

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On June 26, the Polish parliament voted to withdraw from the treaty, with Minister of National Defense Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz saying that Poland “cannot be placed under any straitjacket that would prevent us from defending our homeland.”

On June 28, Lithuania notified the UN of its withdrawal, saying “Putin’s Russia is the greatest long-term existential threat to Europe.”

A day later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree to initiate Ukraine’s withdrawal from the treaty.

“Russia is not a party to this Convention and uses landmines extensively against our military and civilians. We cannot remain bound by restrictions when the enemy faces none,” said Roman Kostenko, a member of parliament from the Holos (Voice) party.