Lithuania has officially left the United Nation’s Ottawa Convention – an international agreement which bans the use, stockpiling, and production of anti-personnel mines.
It follows Estonia and Latvia, whose withdrawals became effective on December 27.
Each Baltic country has increased fears about its borders with Russia. These concerns have led them all to revise their views on anti-personnel munitions.
Lithuania first notified UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres of its wish to withdraw from the convention in June 2025. This followed a May 2025 vote in the Lithuanian Parliament. On December 27, Lithuania’s withdrawal became official, following a six-month waiting period required in Article 20 of the Ottawa Convention.
Lithuania will now move forward with long-held plans to produce anti-personnel mines, as reported by state news site LRT. The production ramp-up will start in early 2026 in cooperation with Finland.
Finland has likewise announced its withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention which will become effective on January 10, 2026. Poland has also decided to withdraw from the treaty, with its exit becoming effective on February 20, 2026.
Lithuania reportedly plans to spend around €500 million on anti-tank mines and anti-personnel mines over the next decades, prioritising domestic manufacturers.
Following the withdrawal announcement in July 2025, Lithuanian deputy defence minister Karolis Aleksa said the country would produce tens of thousands of anti-personnel mines and was also aiming to export the devices to other countries.
“This would be the first time an A-category weapon is produced in Lithuania – either partially or entirely. It would mark a major breakthrough for our defence industry,” Darius Antanaitis, co-founder of Lithuanian defence company Ostaralab, told LRT in July 2025.
The Ottawa Convention, or Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, has been signed by 163 countries as of December 2025.
Signatory states vowed to refrain from using or developing anti-personnel mines and ensure existing stockpiles are destroyed. The treaty prohibits mines designed to detonate in the presence of or contact with a person but does not include anti-vehicle mines.
Most European Union member states have signed the treaty. Russia, the US, China, India and Pakistan have not.
