Against the backdrop of Russia's three-year war in Ukraine, Poland and the Baltics are preparing to exit the Ottawa Treaty, the landmark agreement that saw 164 countries destroy their arsenals of landmines and ban future use.

NATO members Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia plan to withdraw from the Ottawa convention banning anti-personnel landmines due to the military threat from their neighbour Russia, the four countries said on Tuesday.

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland cite the Russo-Ukranian War and Russian aggression in general as a valid reason to restart the production of anti-personnel landmines. Russia is not a signatory to the Ottawa Convention;