Posted on 07/26/2025 10:57:20 PM PDT by Cronos
Polish President Andrzej Duda has signed into law a bill formally withdrawing the country from the Ottawa Treaty, which bans the use of anti-personnel landmines, citing deteriorating regional security and increasing threats from Russia.
The decision aligns Poland with several of its neighbours, including the three Baltic states – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – and Finland, which have also taken steps to exit the treaty in recent months.
Asked about the decision in late June, Duda described it as a “rational step” in light of the “deteriorating security situation” linked in part to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The bill was passed last week by the Senate, the upper house of Poland’s parliament, without any changes to the version approved in June by the more powerful lower house, the Sejm.
Defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz has long described the bill as essential for national security and called Duda’s signing of it “a decision of great importance”.
“In view of the threats on NATO’s eastern flank, we must have all the tools necessary to defend our borders,” Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote in a post on X. “The security of Poland and Poles is paramount. The borders of the Republic of Poland must be inviolable.”
The use of landmines is controversial because they are indiscriminate weapons and can remain in place long after a conflict has finished, meaning they often end up harming civilians.
Poland ratified the Ottawa Treaty in 2012 and, over the following three years, destroyed all of its anti-personnel mines – over one million in total.
However, in March this year, Poland and the three Baltic states announced plans to withdraw from the treaty, arguing that they need to “send a clear message: our countries are prepared and can use every necessary measure to defend our territory and freedom”.
The countries, however, reiterated their commitment to “international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians during an armed conflict”, despite their decision.
In June, Finland’s parliament voted by a large margin to pull out of the treaty, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also signed a decree formalising his country’s withdrawal.
Currently, over 160 countries have agreed to the terms of the treaty; among those who have not are Russia, China, India and the United States. Russia continues to use anti-personnel mines in its war against Ukraine.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland has embarked on an unprecedented military spending spree. It has increased its defence budget to 4.7% of GDP this year, by far the highest relative level in NATO.
Last year, the Polish government unveiled plans for the “Eastern Shield”, a major fortification of Poland’s borders with Belarus and Russia that would potentially include the arming of minefields. The plans are being coordinated with the three Baltic states.
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Technically those lands were at one point Polish, but that’s not a reason for them being Polish today as most lands in Europe have belonged to multiple political entities at different times in history.
Those lands are Polish populated today and Germany has signed treaties accepting that fact. Thanks yo both countries being in the EU, Germans can live, work, buy property etc and live in Breslau or Warmia. Some do, but the fact if the open borders makes the irredentist claims not a factor
The threat from Muscowy is acknowledged by all parties in Poland except the far left
The link you gave says “Starting in May 2022, Poland stopped importing coal from Russia.”
It’s not Muscowite divisions sweeping across Europe, rather it is Moscow causing havoc with s limited invasion
If the Russians were smart, they'll agree to the ceasefire in Ukraine. Then they'll invade the Baltics with 300,000 troops.
In that hypothetical scenario, what will Trump do? Most likely nothing other than secondary sanctions on nations trading with Russia.
NATO and President Trump have troops in the Baltics, if they were invaded Trump would have to operate as a NATO member and fight back.
Trump is unlikely to defend. Germany, France, the UK? They'll depend on Trump.
Similar to 1938 when Hitler seized Czechoslovakia and the Western Allies didn't know what to do.
You think that if NATO and our American troops are attacked in a NATO country as Russia invades us, that President Trump will flee and disregard article 5, and submit to Russia’s attacks on our NATO alliance?
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