Lithuania has officially withdrawn from the international treaty that bans cluster bombs, citing heightened security threat from Russia. Objectors have received massive criticism from human rights teams, warning of doable civilian casualties.
The indicator number choice indicates an option. Officially, enforcing national defense is necessary, as Lithuania itself might be the next vulnerable position for Russia if it continues its aggression beyond Ukraine.
“Russia employs all available conventional warfare tools. We should boost our deterrence capability,” Deputy Defence Minister Karolis Aleksa said. He said that exiting the 2008 Cluster Munitions Convention would enable Lithuania to have more powerful means to hit large area targets. 
Yet, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch say the move is a step backward for global disarmament. “Le Lithuanie met le pied a l’étrier à des traités humanitaires” affirme Alma Taslidzan de Handicap International, membre fondateur du lobby “no to cluster bomb”
Even so, Lithuania vows to do what it can to limit civilian casualties, like the rapid clearance of unexploded ordnance, Finland is one of the regional allies watching whether the government will breach the 1997 Anti-Personnel Landmines Convention, with the government also deciding whether to strike from the treaty.
This is the first time an EU country has pulled out of a multilateral arms regulation deal, prompting worries about the future of arms control in the area.
