A diplomatic dispute between the United States and France played out at the United Nations on Monday after the U.S. delegation walked out of a Security Council meeting in protest over remarks by the French envoy.
The protest took place during an emergency session on Russia’s war in Ukraine as France’s UN Ambassador, Jerome Bonnafont, addressed the council. Members of the U.S. delegation left the chamber while he was speaking.
The disagreement followed last week’s UN General Assembly vote on the reappointment of Volker Türk as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The United States joined Russia and North Korea in voting against extending Türk’s mandate, while 144 countries voted in favour.
After the vote, France criticised the United States on X, saying Washington had voted alongside Russia and North Korea, adding that the U.S. was no longer “a beacon of human rights”.
U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz rejected the criticism, accusing Türk of focusing on democratic nations while failing to hold some of the world’s worst human rights violators to account.
U.S. Ambassador Dan Negrea said the walkout was a response to what Washington described as France’s “condescending and disrespectful rhetoric,”, warning that similar protests would continue unless France changed its approach.
The incident comes amid broader tensions between the Trump administration and the United Nations. Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has reduced funding to several UN agencies and withdrawn from multiple UN bodies, arguing that the organisation has become overly politicised.
Following the General Assembly vote, U.S. Ambassador Jeff Bartos said the United States would reassess its engagement, participation and financial support for the UN.
France defended Türk’s leadership, with Ambassador Bonnafont describing him as “a voice of conscience” who had shown “rigor and impartiality” during his first term.
The United Nations declined to comment directly on the protest, saying only that member states are expected to respect decisions taken by the General Assembly.
