4 April 2025, 11:27 | Updated: 4 April 2025, 11:41

By George Graham

Almost 30 years ago, the world came together in an unprecedented movement to ban the use of landmines.

Now, governments – and even a former UK defence secretary – are arguing that these terrifying, indiscriminate weapons should be brought back into use.

Inspired by survivors and campaigners, including the late Princess Diana, world leaders in 1997 overwhelmingly supported the Mine Ban Treaty as it came into force. They recognised that anti-personnel mines are instruments of terror that do not distinguish between combatants or civilians and that respect no ceasefire or peace agreement.

They understood that any military advantage they may confer had been significantly overstated and was massively outweighed by the harm they do to civilians – including to huge numbers of children.

These are lessons that today’s leaders would benefit from re-learning.

Yet last November, the Biden Administration decided to supply mines to Ukraine, a signatory of the Treaty. Finland, also a signatory, began discussions to re-equip its army with these weapons. Last month, the........

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