US delegation walks out of UN meeting after French criticism

In a surprise move during a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine, the United States delegation walked out as the French ambassador began his remarks, condemning earlier French statements that compared the US to North Korea and Russia in the context of a human rights vote.

The incident followed an exchange of criticism between the two permanent Security Council members earlier in the week, after France took aim at the US for joining Russia, North Korea, and seven other countries in voting against a proposal to extend Volker Türk’s mandate as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for another four years.

The US walkout reflects not only growing tensions between President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, but also broader strains between the US and Europe. These include questions over Trump’s commitment to NATO, possible changes to the US military presence in Europe, and Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland, which belongs to NATO member Denmark.

Earlier, the US president had complained that Europeans, who were not consulted, did not assist the US during the conflict with Iran. Amid these tensions, Macron has taken a leading role in efforts to strengthen Europe’s military capabilities and ensure a nuclear umbrella, as France is one of only two nuclear powers on the continent alongside Britain.

He stated that the US had stood by France in every conflict where its "freedom was threatened," and had tolerated its political posturing "out of a spirit of solidarity and mutual respect," but that this would no longer continue.

Commenting on the incident, the French mission to the UN wrote on X, "The United States was once a model for human rights... That is no longer the case. Today, it finds itself isolated alongside North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali, and Russia, and the world is no longer listening to it."

The French mission also criticized the US for opposing a second term for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The General Assembly voted 144 in favor to 10 against, with 13 abstentions, to renew Türk’s mandate, with the US among those voting no.

Later, a French diplomatic source said, "The French position is clear: we supported the reappointment of the High Commissioner, just as all EU member states and a vast majority of UN members did. This does not prevent us from maintaining close dialogue with the United States. A difference of opinion over a voting process does not affect the quality of our relationship or our ability to work together."