There is a “new reality” of landmine use in Europe due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to the charity that worked alongside Princess Diana to highlight the dangers of the hidden weapons.
The HALO Trust – which cleared the minefield that Princess Diana walked through in 1997 – was responding to four NATO countries saying they intended to leave the international treaty banning the use of mines.
Earlier this week, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia said they would be exiting the Ottawa Treaty as the “military threats to NATO member states bordering Russia and Belarus have significantly increased”.
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The Ottawa Treaty was signed in late 1997, and currently has 164 members, including those four.
Nations that are not signatories to the Ottawa Treaty includes Russia, China, Iran, India, North Korea, South Korea and the United States.
The UK was one of the initial members of the treaty – and its creation was championed by Princess Diana alongside the HALO trust.
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A spokesperson for the trust – which worked with Princess Diana – said the move by the four NATO members “presents the Ottawa Treaty with its greatest challenge since it was signed in 1997”.
They added that the “invasion of Ukraine has created a new reality for the defence of Eastern Europe” – and outside of that region the Ottawa Treaty will “remain the bedrock of efforts to save civilian lives”.
In the wake of four members of NATO saying they will leave the Ottawa Treaty, the UK says it still remains committed and has no plans to leave.
However, it is also supportive of those nations for choosing to withdraw.
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A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth And Development Office told Sky News: “The UK remains unwavering in its commitment as a state party to the Ottawa Treaty, and we value the important role it plays in protecting civilians from harm.
“It is the sovereign right of these countries to make this decision.
“We will continue to engage these states on action they plan to take in order to minimise any impacts on our shared interests in humanitarian arms control and disarmament and to advance European security in the face of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
It is not clear what this engagement will look like.
However, the terms of the treaty means the UK would not be able to make or sell landmines to Poland, Lithuania, Estonia or Latvia.
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Outside the government, the reaction has largely included condemnation of the use of mines – especially their impact on civilians.
But there is an acceptance from some that Russia’s aggression in the region has required a shift in what is and isn’t acceptable to use in warfare.
Andrew Mitchell was international development secretary in the early 2010s, held a similar role under Rishi Sunak – and has previously spoken of the “nightmare” of mines.
But speaking to Sky News in the wake of the decision from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, he said: “Landmines are awful weapons of war which all too often lurk long after their military use and blow off the limbs of children and unwary civilians – that is why UK rightly has disavowed their use.
“But I can see why these countries regard them as frontier protection from Putin’s nakedly aggressive imperial ambitions and see a sensible defensive use for them.”
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Sarah Champion, the Labour chair of the International Development Select Committee in parliament, was more critical.
She told Sky News: “International treaties exist to keep us all safe.
“When nations step away, we all become a little more vulnerable – so the decision from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia is regrettable.”
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Darren Cormack, the chief executive of the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), told Sky News that he knew there are “no easy choices” for countries that feel they are “under threat of armed aggression”.
But he added that “international humanitarian law is designed precisely for times like these, when people are in the gravest danger and the risk of conflict is at its highest”.
“Extensive experience shows that the tactical utility of anti-personnel mines is outweighed by the civilian harm they cause, the tragic effect of which we witness day-in, day-out, across the world.”
