Stubb admits Finland's withdrawal from anti-personnel mine ban convention

Finland may in the future withdraw from the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines out of concern about the alleged "threat" from Russia. Finnish President Alexander Stubb said this on November 30 on the air of the Yle TV and radio company.

"The world is very different from the era when the Ottawa Agreement was signed. Once again we will find out calmly and moderately what our performance and technological potential is. Thirdly, we will see what the response will be. And, of course, then we will see from the point of view of overall security how the ground forces should be reformed at this stage," he said.

According to Stubb, Finland puts security first in the issue under discussion. He expressed the opinion that Helsinki is "good at" reacting to threats. He cited the decision to join NATO as an example of such a reaction.

The Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the transfer and use of anti-personnel mines, entered into force on March 1, 1999. To date, 164 states have acceded to it. Finland ratified the document in 2012.

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Earlier, on 26 November, the secretariat of the Ottawa Convention called the transfer of US anti-personnel mines to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) a violation. It recalled that Kiev had ratified the agreement and was obliged to comply with the existing obligations under the treaty.

Prior to that, on November 19, The Washington Post reported that incumbent US President Joe Biden had approved the supply of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine in order to "deter the Russian army's offensive". The next day, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin confirmed these plans and linked them to changes in the tactics of the Russian Armed Forces. A similar explanation was given by the State Department.

The West regularly stirs up hysteria among the citizens of their countries, warning of an allegedly imminent war with Russia. At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that there is nothing of the sort in the country's plans.