Lithuania has formally informed the United Nations of its decision to withdraw from the international treaty banning anti-personnel landmines, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis announced Friday on X (formerly Twitter). The withdrawal will take full effect six months from the date of notification.
The move follows similar decisions by neighbouring NATO and EU countries — Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Poland — all of which have also voted in their national parliaments to exit the 1997 Ottawa Treaty. The coordinated withdrawal reflects growing regional security concerns amid rising tensions with Russia.
REUTERS/S.S