Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have announced they plan to withdraw from an international treaty banning anti-personnel landmines. They cited concerns over their national security. The four countries share borders with Russia.



Defense ministers of the four countries issued a joint statement on Tuesday in which they recommend withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel landmines.



The convention came into effect in 1999. Its more than 160 signatories include Japan and Ukraine. Russia is not a party to the treaty.



The joint statement suggested that the security situation in their region has fundamentally deteriorated after Russia's military aggression against Ukraine.



The statement said, "it is of paramount importance to provide our defence forces with flexibility and freedom of choice" to potentially use new weapon systems.



Poland and the Baltic states stressed that they "can use every necessary measure to defend our territory and freedom."



International human rights advocacy group Human Rights Watch has criticized both Russia and Ukraine for using anti-personnel mines in their conflict.



On March 6, Lithuania pulled out of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the production and use of that class of weapons, because they can kill and maim large numbers of civilians.