Plans by five Nato countries to pull out of life-saving agreement are ‘stupid’, says Nobel laureate Jody Williams

When leaders from dozens of countries met in Mozambique a decade ago, their aim was to rid the world of one of its most treacherous weapons. Years after signing a landmark treaty banning the use, production and stockpiling of landmines, they seized on the gathering to set out an ambitious deadline for the completion of their efforts: 2025.

Now 2025 is here, a very different precedent looms as five European countries have announced their intentions to be the first to withdraw from the treaty. All are Nato members that border Russia, and cite concerns about the growing threat posed by Vladimir Putin.