US and Russia block progress on Geneva autonomous weapons talks

The CCW conference in Geneva, attended by 128 parties, is working toward a non-binding document that could launch negotiations on rules for lethal autonomous weapons systems. A majority of states have backed the draft, but the United States and Russia have submitted late amendments that remove or alter key language, raising concerns that a consensus will not be achieved by the Friday deadline. Critics, including Human Rights Watch and the Stop Killer Robots campaign, argue that AI-enabled weapons risk fatal errors in wars like those in Ukraine, Sudan, and the Middle East.

While the US prefers guidelines over a binding treaty, Russia, India and Turkey share this stance, whereas Brazil, Ireland and several African nations push for stronger safeguards and human-control clauses. Diplomats warn that without agreement, the years of discussion could be lost and no international framework may emerge.