Finland plans to withdraw from the convention on the prohibition of anti-personnel mines.

Finland plans to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention on the prohibition of anti-personnel mines and significantly increase its defense spending in the coming years.

This was announced by the Prime Minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo, as reported by Reuters.

The decision by Finland mirrors the actions of Poland and Baltic countries such as Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which withdrew from the convention last month due to the threat from Russia.

By exiting the treaty, which was signed in 1997, Finland, which has the longest border with Russia among NATO countries, will be able to accumulate anti-personnel mines for potential use again.

'Withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention will allow us to prepare flexibly for changes in the security environment,' Orpo explained, emphasizing that there is no immediate military threat to his country. However, he stated that Russia poses a long-term threat to all of Europe.

Additionally, the Prime Minister announced that Finland will increase defense spending to at least 3% of GDP by 2029. This will mean an increase of about 3 billion euros.

These statements were made in the context of active actions by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, raising concerns in Poland and the Baltic states about a possible rearmament of Russia and the threat of attack on their territories.