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.

Poland and the Baltic states have said they are planning to leave the Ottawa Convention, dealing a blow to the international treaty banning antipersonnel land mines.In a joint statement on Tuesday, the defense ministers of the Baltic States and Poland recommended withdrawing from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty,

Military threats to NATO member states bordering Russia and Belarus have significantly increased," the four nations argue in a statemement.