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UN makes progress toward restricting so-called killer robots

From Der Standard · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Nearly 130 countries agreed in Geneva on a definition of autonomous weapons after years of discussions at the United Nations.
  • Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen called the agreement a first success and an important step toward regulating rapidly advancing military technology.
  • Critics say the United States and Russia tried to weaken the negotiating text.

After years of debate, nearly 130 countries meeting in Geneva agreed on a definition for autonomous weapons, in what the United Nations presented as an initial advance toward restricting so-called killer robots.

Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen announced the agreement on Saturday. โ€œAs military technology develops rapidly, this marks an important step in regulating these systems,โ€ he wrote on X.

The negotiations have drawn criticism from those who say the United States and Russia sought to weaken the draft text. The agreement focuses on defining the weapons as governments consider limits on systems that can operate autonomously.

As military technology develops rapidly, this marks an important step in regulating these systems.

· Tom BerendsenThe Dutch foreign minister described the Geneva agreement as progress in efforts to regulate autonomous weapons.
About this summary

Originally published by Der Standard in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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