Estonia’s parliament voted on Wednesday to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, a global treaty banning the use of anti-personnel landmines, citing growing military threats from neighbouring Russia.
In a decisive move, 81 out of 101 Estonian lawmakers supported the withdrawal, according to a statement from the parliament’s press office. The decision aligns Estonia with four other European Union and NATO countries that share a border with Russia—Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Finland—all of whom have announced similar intentions in recent months.
The countries argue that the evolving security landscape, especially in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its continued use of landmines, demands a reassessment of past defence commitments. Notably, Russia is not a signatory to the Ottawa Convention.
Latvia’s parliament has already approved its withdrawal, and Estonia’s move is seen as part of a broader regional shift. Once formal notification is given to the United Nations and treaty members, countries would legally be able to stockpile and deploy landmines six months later. However, none of the five nations have taken that final step yet.
Critics, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jody Williams, have voiced concern over the decisions. Williams, who won the award in 1997 for her work in banning anti-personnel mines, warned of the long-term consequences.
“Landmines don’t influence the outcome of a war… All you get is a mess afterwards that threatens your own population,” she told The Guardian in April.
As security tensions with Russia continue to rise, Estonia’s vote marks another step in a growing regional strategy to bolster defences, even as it stirs ethical and humanitarian debate on the future of warfare.
Melissa Enoch
Follow us on:
