The U.S. delegation briefly walked out of a United Nations Security Council meeting during France’s address in protest on Monday after the European ally criticized America’s human rights record
Dan Negrea, an alternate U.S. representative to the U.N., accused France of feigning “moral outrage” while pretending to lecture the world about the Ukraine conflict and human rights in general
“That is why we walked out during France’s intervention,” he said during a meeting on Russia’s war in Ukraine. “This disingenuous grandstanding is tiresome, but we have tolerated it out of a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect as P5 members.” Negrea was referring to the five permanent members of the Security Council
“We have stood by this member state through every conflict in which their freedoms have been imperiled, and today I remind them that it is the United States that remains the beacon of liberty for the world,” Negrea continued. “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 diplomatic dispute stems from France’s U.N. Mission in Geneva criticizing the United States for opposing a second term for Volker Türk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights who has held the role since 2022
Türk secured overwhelming backing from member states on Friday, receiving 144 votes in favor of him staying on, with just 10 countries—including the United States—voting against, and 13 abstaining
“The U.S. used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore. Today, it stands alongside North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali, and Russia, isolated. And the world no longer listens to it,” the French Mission said on Saturday
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz called the criticism “disappointing, though not surprising.”
“France voted for someone who has been lecturing free, sovereign democracies like the United States, the U.K., and Israel, while cozying up to the world’s worst oppressors,” he claimed
A frequent critic of Israel’s military operations, Türk on Monday expressed concern about ongoing displacement caused by Israeli strikes against Lebanon. Türk also urged a “massive rethink” of U.S. immigration policies ahead of the World Cup in June
U.S. Representative for U.N. Management and Reform Jeff Bartos also criticized Türk’s renewed appointment, insisting “there will be consequences” in the future. “The United States will reassess our engagement, participation, and funding,” regarding the organization, he warned
Towards the close of the tense council meeting on Monday, French U.N. Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont noted that France had taken part in the July 4 celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary and reaffirmed a commitment to working together for a greater cause
“The United Nations was created with the goal of working towards international peace and security, human rights, and development,” he said. “All of that forms the spirit in which France works within the United Nations (…) to preserve this institution, its independence, its ability to act in service of the charter and act to serve human rights and peace.”
The brief U.S. walkout reflects not only the strained relations between U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, but also the wideningrift between the U.S. and several of its European allies
Those broader tensions have centered on NATO defense spending, the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Europe, and Trump’scalls for the United States to take control of Greenland
Trump has also repeatedly criticized European allies for failing to get actively involved in the Iran war, even going so far asthreatening to cut all trade with Spain during a contentious moment at the NATO summit in Turkey earlier this month.
