In Finland, a civic initiative has collected signatures in favor of Finland’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Treaty, which prohibits the use of anti-personnel mines.

Finland’s national broadcaster Yle reported that the petition was sent to the parliament.

The required threshold of 50,000 signatures was passed on Monday. The campaign was launched on Finland’s Independence Day, December 6.

The Ottawa Convention prohibits the production, acquisition, storage, sale, and transfer of anti-personnel mines.

Finland joined the Ottawa Treaty in 2012.

MEP Mika Aaltola, former Defense Minister Jussi Niiniste, former Finnish Defense Force Commander Admiral Juhani Kaskela, and a number of former diplomats initiated the petition.

Former head of state Sauli Niinistö believes that other countries would be sympathetic to Finland’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Agreement, which bans the use of anti-personnel mines.

According to him, he believed several years ago that the mines could be useful.

The massive use of infantry by the Russian army has created a new reality in which Finland needs to prepare for a military conflict in some way.

“The situation has changed significantly since Finland abandoned anti-personnel mines and joined the Ottawa Convention in 2012,” Janne Jaakkola, commander of the Finnish Defense Forces, explained.

Recently, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that the Biden administration’s decision to send anti-personnel mines to Ukraine for the first time was motivated by Russia’s changing tactics at the front.

The White House is concerned about the intensification of offensive actions by Russian occupation forces at the front in recent months and considers it necessary to help Ukraine stop this advance. The Pentagon considers the provision of anti-personnel mines to be one of the most effective steps to slow down the Russian offensive.