Finland withdraws from Ottawa Convention
Finnish leaders have emphasized the growing security threat from their eastern neighbor. President Alexander Stubb previously described Russia as “an aggressive, imperialist state,” while Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen stressed that “protection against the Russian threat takes priority.” Moscow, however, has consistently dismissed any notion that it would target EU or NATO members as “nonsense.”
The move by Finland, which follows similar decisions by Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, drew concern from the United Nations. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the withdrawal “troubling,” urging countries to honor humanitarian disarmament commitments and warning that anti-personnel mines continue to pose severe risks to civilians long after conflicts conclude.
The Ottawa Convention, established in 1997, bans the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of landmines due to their indiscriminate harm. Since joining in 2012, Finland destroyed over one million anti-personnel mines, retaining only a small number for training purposes.
Tensions between Helsinki and Moscow have intensified since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Finland, which shares a 1,340 km border with Russia, has actively supported Ukraine and formally joined NATO in April 2023, ending decades of neutrality.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Moscow previously “had no problems at all” with Finland and Sweden, noting that businesses from both countries “received dividends and benefits from this cooperation.” He added that Russia has “never been the first to spoil relations with other countries” and remains open to maintaining mutually advantageous ties.
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