Poland will be able to deploy anti-personnel mines along its eastern border within 48 hours if a security threat arises, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, as the country's withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention is set to become official.
Speaking in Warsaw, Tusk said the move was part of Poland's broader East Shield initiative aimed at strengthening defences along its borders with Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad enclave. He described the mine deployment project as "crucial" to national security amid heightened regional tensions following Russia's war in Ukraine.
Poland began the formal withdrawal process from the treaty in August, triggering a six-month notice period that ends on February 20, 2026. Once outside the convention (which bans the production, stockpiling and use of anti-personnel mines) Warsaw will be legally free to resume manufacturing and deployment.
Deputy Defence Minister Paweł Zalewski previously indicated that Poland could restart domestic production of landmines for the first time since the Cold War, with the possibility of supplying them to Ukraine as well. Several of Russia's European neighbours have also moved to reconsider their participation in the treaty in response to security concerns...