US diplomats walked out as France spoke at UN Security Council
US officials left a Ukraine meeting during France’s remarks after a dispute over the UN human rights chief’s new term.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
US diplomats walked out of a United Nations Security Council session on Russia’s war in Ukraine when France began speaking, AP and Reuters reported. The move signaled a fresh public clash between Washington and Paris at the UN after a dispute over the reappointment of UN human rights chief Volker Turk.
The walkout took place Monday during an emergency council meeting. It came two days after US and French officials traded criticism online over Washington’s vote against extending Turk’s four-year term.
Why did US diplomats walk out on France at the UN?
AP and Reuters reported that the confrontation followed a post by France’s UN Mission in Geneva, which said Saturday that the United States was no longer a “beacon of human rights” and was isolated with North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali and Russia. US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz responded on X that France had backed a rights chief who, in his words, had been “lecturing free, sovereign democracies” including the US, the UK and Israel while “cozying up to the world’s worst oppressors.”
After the US delegation left the room, Dan Negrea, an alternate US representative, told the Security Council that US diplomats would continue to walk out until France withdrew what he called “condescending and disrespectful rhetoric,” according to AP and Reuters.
France’s UN ambassador, Jerome Bonnafont, did not address the walkout in his remarks. He told the council that France was working to protect the UN’s independence and its ability to act, AP and Reuters reported.
What is the dispute over Volker Turk?
Volker Turk is the UN high commissioner for human rights, the official who leads the world body’s human rights work. His new term was approved by the UN General Assembly in a vote of 144 in favor, 10 against and 13 abstentions.
Turk has criticized violations of international law by Israel and the United States in Palestine and Iran, according to AP and Reuters. The Trump administration opposed renewing his mandate and had threatened to reassess its engagement with the UN over the issue.
Washington’s objections fit into a broader pullback from parts of the UN system under President Donald Trump. Since 2025, his administration has cut funding to UN agencies and withdrawn from dozens of UN entities, AP and Reuters reported.
US-France tensions extend beyond the UN
The Security Council walkout added to existing strains between the two allies. AP and Reuters reported that Washington and Paris have differed over NATO spending, trade policy and Trump’s threats to occupy Greenland, a territory of NATO member Denmark.
France and other European states have also angered Trump by refusing to take direct part in the US-Israel war on Iran, according to AP and Reuters. Monday’s scene at the Security Council showed how those disputes have spilled into diplomacy over Ukraine and the UN’s human rights work.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.