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The United States dramatically walked out as France addressed the United Nations (U.N.) Security Council Monday, escalating an extraordinary clash between the longtime allies after Paris claimed America was no longer a “beacon of human rights.”
The U.S. delegation left the chamber as French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont delivered remarks during a Security Council meeting on Ukraine, days after France’s U.N. mission in Geneva accused Washington of standing alongside North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali and Russia following a vote on the U.N.’s human rights chief.
Deputy U.S. Ambassador Dan Negrea accused France of “disingenuous grandstanding” and warned that American diplomats would continue walking out during French statements until Paris renounces what he called its “condescending and disrespectful rhetoric.”
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“Today, I remind them that it is the United States that remains the beacon of liberty for the world,” Negrea told the council. “As such, we will not be affording them the benefit of listening to their politicized drivel until they renounce their condescending and disrespectful rhetoric and behave in a manner commensurate with their seat on this council.”
The clash matters because the United States and France are among the world’s oldest allies, dating back to French support for the American Revolution, and today remain NATO partners and permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. Their cooperation is central to Western policy on Ukraine, European security and sanctions enforcement.
A French diplomat told Fox News Digital that the dispute should not be interpreted as a broader rupture between the longtime allies. “Differences in how we assess a vote do not call into question the quality of our relations or our ability to work together,” the diplomat said.
Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon backed Washington’s response and sharply criticized France.
“I think the behavior of France is shameful,” Danon told Fox News Digital Tuesday. “The U.S. is demonstrating moral clarity, standing for the real values of the U.N.”
Danon accused France and other European countries of supporting voices within the United Nations that undermine rather than advance human rights. “It’s about time to reform the U.N., and I want to thank the U.S. for showing leadership on that issue,” he said.
The confrontation marked a significant escalation from the unusually personal social media exchange that erupted after the General Assembly approved a second four-year term for U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.
Türk, an Austrian diplomat who has served as U.N. high commissioner for human rights since 2022, has drawn criticism from the United States and outside watchdogs over what they describe as uneven scrutiny of democracies and authoritarian governments. A 2024 analysis by UN Watch found that, among public country criticisms initiated by Türk or his office, he criticized the United States more often than China, North Korea, Cuba, Saudi Arabia and Qatar combined, while issuing no such criticism of several repressive governments during the period reviewed.
Türk’s supporters, including France and the European Union, argue that his willingness to criticize powerful democracies reflects the independence and universality required of the U.N.’s top human rights official.
France’s Geneva mission had declared that the United States was no longer a human rights leader and claimed “the world no longer listens to it” after Washington joined nine other countries in voting against Türk’s extension.
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U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz responded by accusing France of backing an official who lectures democracies while “cozying up to the world’s worst oppressors.”
Negrea went further Monday, invoking the history of the U.S.-French alliance and saying Washington had stood beside France whenever its freedom was threatened.
The United States had tolerated France’s “grandstanding” out of “a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect,” he said, but would no longer remain silent in the face of what he described as feigned French “moral outrage.”
Bonnafont did not directly address the walkout when he spoke again at the end of the meeting. Instead, he invoked the countries’ historic ties, noting that France helped the United States secure its independence and participated in celebrations marking America’s 250th anniversary. “This is the spirit of the relationship between France and the United States,” he said, before reaffirming France’s commitment to the U.N.’s work on peace, development and human rights.
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“The United Nations was created with the goal of working towards international peace and security, human rights and development,” Bonnafont said, adding that France would continue working to protect the institution’s independence and its ability to serve human rights and peace.
The dispute began after the General Assembly voted 144-10, with 13 abstentions, to extend Türk’s tenure through October 2030.
The United States had unsuccessfully sought an additional week for consultations, arguing that the vote was being rushed even though Türk’s current term does not expire until Oct. 11.
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Washington also objected to Türk’s record. U.S. officials have accused him of disproportionately criticizing democracies, including the United States and Israel, while failing to confront authoritarian governments with the same urgency.
