Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Friday he backed withdrawing his NATO country from a landmark treaty prohibiting the use of anti-personnel landmines as he briefed the parliament on Poland’s security.
Designed to be buried or hidden on the ground, anti-personnel mines often mutilate victims who are not immediately killed, with aid groups decrying their long-term impact on civilians.
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The Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention, also known as the Ottawa Convention, prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of landmines.
“I will recommend a positive opinion for Poland to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention and possibly from the Dublin Convention,” Tusk told lawmakers, clarifying he was referring to treaties on “anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions.”
Poland, a staunch Ukraine ally, has been calling for Europe to strengthen its defenses against its neighbor Russia, with Tusk saying the continent must win the “arms race” with Moscow.
At least two NATO countries, Finland and Lithuania – both also bordering Russia – have in the past months mulled exiting from the Ottawa Convention.
“Let’s face it: it’s not something nice, nothing pleasant. We know that very well,” Tusk said.
“The problem is that in our environment, those we may be afraid of, or those who are at war, they all have it,” he added.
Lithuania on Thursday has quit the treaty banning cluster bombs citing security concerns over a threat from Moscow, sparking outrage from human rights watchdogs.
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