Poland expands military training to all men; mulls mines treaty exit; Lithuania quits cluster bomb treaty

Poland expands military training to all men; mulls mines treaty exit; Lithuania quits cluster bomb treaty
by Simon Druker
Washington DC (UPI) Mar 7, 2025

Citing "geopolitical uncertainty," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed on Friday the country is aiming to have all men undergo some manner of military training.

"By the end of the year, we want to have a model ready so that every adult male in Poland is trained for war, and so that this reserve is adequate for possible threats," Tusk told the Sejm, the lower house of Poland's parliament Friday.

The prime minister made the comments as tensions escalate between European allies and Russia, following a European Union announcement earlier in the week of a multi-billion-dollar spending package to protect itself and Ukraine.

The $841 billion "ReArm Europe Plan" is meant to shield EU members and Ukraine from Russian aggression through the remainder of the 2020s.

Tusk told Poland's parliament his government plans to "prepare large-scale military training for every adult male in Poland."

Polands' military currently stands at around 200,000, behind only Turkey and the United States in size among members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO.

Tusk said he hopes to increase the size of his country's military to around a half-million.

Ukraine's army has approximately 800,000 personnel while Russia's military is thought to be around 1.3 million strong.

Tusk on Thursday called the current situation an "arms race."

"The war, the geopolitical uncertainty and the new arms race started by Putin have left Europe with no choice," Tusk said on X.

"Europe must be ready for this race, and Russia will lose it like the Soviet Union 40 years ago. From today, Europe will arm itself more wisely and faster than Russia."

Among European NATO members, Poland spends the largest percentage of its Gross Domestic Product on its military.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said Poland should increase that percentage from 4.7% to 5%.

Approximately 10,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed in Poland and the country does routinely purchase American weapons.

Trump's lack of clarity on his position with Russia also played a role in Friday's announcement.

"We are seeing a deep correction in U.S. policy with regard to Ukraine but we can't turn our backs to it only because we don't like it. We must be precise and honest in assessing what it means and what serves our interest and what doesn't," Tusk told the Polish parliament.

"Our deficit has been the lack of the will to act, having no confidence, and sometimes even cowardice. But Russia will be helpless against united Europe. It's striking but it's true. Right now, 500 million Europeans are begging 300 million Americans for protection from 140 million Russians who have been unable to overcome 50 million Ukrainians for three years."

Poland mulls mines treaty exit, plans military training for men
Warsaw (AFP) Mar 7, 2025 - Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday announced a slew of measures aimed at boosting his country's defence, including a possible exit from a landmark anti-mines treaty and large-scale military trainings for men.

Poland, a staunch Ukraine ally, has been arming itself heavily as it eyes warily neighbouring Russia and amid calls from US President Donald Trump for European countries to take more responsibility for their own defence.

Warsaw is already far ahead of its allies in terms of military expenditure, aiming to spend 4.7 percent of its GDP on defence this year -- and now it mulls new measures.

"We are facing a very serious race, and it is a race for security," Tusk told the parliament.

"We must be aware that Poland must reach for the most modern possibilities, also related to nuclear weapons and modern unconventional weapons," he said, pledging Poland would use "every available opportunity to increase our defence".

A new military training scheme was intended to be ready by the end of the year "so that every adult man in Poland is trained in case of war," Tusk announced.

The trainings will turn "those who do not join the army to fully-fledged and valuable soldiers during a conflict," Tusk said, adding the goal was to have a military reserve force "adequate to potential threats".

Tusk, who this week has called on Europe to strengthen its defences to win the "arms race" with Moscow, has also backed withdrawing his country from a landmark treaty prohibiting the use of anti-personnel landmines.

"I will recommend a positive opinion for Poland to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention and possibly from the Dublin Convention," Tusk told lawmakers, referring to treaties on anti-personnel mines and on cluster munitions.

"Let's face it: it's not something nice, nothing pleasant. We know that very well," Tusk said.

"The problem is that in our environment, those we may be afraid of, or those who are at war, they all have it," he added.

- Constitutional amendment -

Designed to be buried or hidden on the ground, anti-personnel mines often mutilate victims who are not immediately killed and aid groups have decried their long-term impact on civilians.

The Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention, also known as the Ottawa Convention, prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of landmines.

At least two NATO countries, Finland and Lithuania -- both also bordering Russia -- have in the past months mulled exiting from the Ottawa Convention.

Lithuania on Thursday has quit the treaty banning cluster bombs citing security concerns over a threat from Moscow, sparking outrage from human rights watchdogs.

Amnesty International called the move "disastrous", while Human Rights Watch said it was "alarming", and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned it "weakens vital protections for civilians".

But Tusk brushed off a potential backlash.

"We will not look at anyone. We will not fear anyone's criticism," he told the parliament.

Earlier on Friday, Polish President Andrzej Duda said he had submitted an amendment to anchor in the constitution a defence spending mark of four percent of GDP, twice NATO's current target.

Poland is far ahead of its allies in terms of military expenditure, aiming to spend 4.7 percent of its GDP on defence this year.

The amendment would be "a guarantee that these expenses will actually be carried out," Duda, allied with the conservative right-wing opposition, told reporters.

Tusk said the proposal should be "analysed very seriously" but did not say if his ruling coalition would back it.

It would need a cross-party support of two-thirds of the lawmakers in the Polish parliament's lower chamber to enter into force.

Lithuania quits treaty banning cluster bombs despite outrage
Vilnius (AFP) Mar 6, 2025 - Lithuania on Thursday quit an international convention banning cluster bombs citing security concerns over neighbouring Russia, in a move that has drawn criticism from human rights groups.

Lithuania, a Baltic state of 2.8 million people which was previously under Soviet rule, has said it wants to strengthen its defences following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fearing it could be next in line if Moscow succeeds.

Lithuania's Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene told Ziniu radio the decision was a "strategic message that we are prepared to use absolutely everything" to defend the country.

But human rights organisations condemned the withdrawal, saying it could put civilian lives at risk.

"Lithuania's withdrawal is unprecedented, as no state has ever denounced a global humanitarian treaty," the ICRC said in a statement.

The Lithuanian parliament voted to leave the cluster munitions convention last July, but the country had to wait six months after submitting exit documents to the UN for the decision to take full effect.

Lithuania -- a member of both the EU and NATO -- is the first country to leave the convention, which was adopted in 2008, and the first European Union country to leave a multilateral arms regulation agreement.

Russia and Ukraine are not members of the convention and have both used cluster bombs in their three-year-long war.

"Russia uses all the instruments available in a conventional war, and this shows that we need to take action to ensure effective deterrence and defence," Lithuania's Deputy Defence Minister Karolis Aleksa told AFP this week.

"Withdrawing from the convention gives us the opportunity to increase the effectiveness of our defence against large-area targets," he said.

The convention has 112 state parties and 12 other signatories, and prohibits the use, transfer, production and stockpiling of cluster bombs.

Cluster munitions can be dropped from aircraft or fired from artillery, exploding mid-air and scattering bomblets over a wide area.

"The most effective deterrence and defence is when you have them in your possession and know how to use them," Aleksa said.

- 'Dangerous trend' -

Many countries have banned cluster bombs as many fail to detonate on impact, effectively acting as land mines that can explode years later and create a lasting threat.

HI, a non-governmental group and founding member of the coalition against cluster munitions, asked Lithuania to reverse its move.

"Lithuania's decision paves the way to a dangerous trend as it may encourage other states to reconsider their commitments to humanitarian disarmament treaties, particularly in times of heightened security concerns," HI's disarmament and protection of civilians advocacy manager Alma Taslidzan said in a statement.

"The Oslo Convention has proven to be effective in protecting civilians from this indiscriminate weapon," she said.

But Deputy Defence Minister Aleksa said Lithuania would take "all necessary measures" to minimise the negative effects of cluster munitions, including planning to collect unexploded ordnance as quickly as possible after any potential military operation.

"Cluster munitions have immense destructive power, and additional attention will be paid to internal rules on their use," he said.

Lithuania is also considering leaving another convention that bans anti-personnel landmines.

The military and the defence ministry have supported the move, but government leaders have paused the decision, asking whether regional allies would take similar steps.

The president's national security advisor, Marius Cesnulevicius, said in February that a final decision could take several months.

Finland's armed forces have been evaluating since last summer whether anti-personnel landmines should be reintroduced, but no decision has been made so far.

The 1997 Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention, which was borne out of a push to ban the landmines due to their devastating impact on civilians, currently has 164 state signatories.