Lithuania has decided to withdraw from the international treaty banning cluster munitions, citing deteriorating regional security and the war in Ukraine.

Lawmakers voted 103 to 1, with 3 abstentions, in favor of a proposal to exit the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits the use, production, and acquisition of these weapons.

Lithuanian officials emphasized that withdrawing from the Convention, established in 2011, does not absolve the country of its commitments to humanitarian law principles.

Cluster munitions scatter numerous sub-munitions across a wide area, posing a significant risk of civilian casualties. Human rights organizations criticize them as inherently indiscriminate and warn about the dangers of unexploded ordnance causing harm to civilians. Prior to the vote, the convention's presidency and Human Rights Watch urged Lithuania to reconsider its decision to withdraw.

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Lithuania's Defense Ministry argued that the cluster munitions convention is more applicable to countries without security threats from neighboring nations, noting that neither Russia nor Belarus are parties to the treaty. Officials also highlighted that several NATO allies of Lithuania, including the US, Poland, and Turkey, have not ratified the treaty.

However, despite this, most European NATO member states have endorsed the ban and strongly criticized the US decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine in July 2023.

“Cluster munitions are an important tool to increase effectiveness of defense of large territories and to protect the territory of Lithuania and its population,” said Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas.

“We cannot allow a potential aggressor to know in advance that the country doesn’t have and won’t use effective defensive measures,” he stressed.