U.S. Delegation Storms Out of UN Meeting Over Criticism From France

The United States delegation to the United Nations walked out of a security council meeting this week during a speech by France that sharply criticized U.S. human rights stances, including comparing U.S. foreign policy to that of authoritarian nations.

A representative for the United States addressed the strained relations between the two longtime allies following the walkout, saying that it would continue to protest France’s actions as long as it sought to second-guess President Donald Trump’s foreign policy priorities.

“This disingenuous grandstanding is tiresome, but we have tolerated it out of a sense of comradery and mutual respect,” said U.S. Ambassador Dan Negrea, who serves as an alternate representative to the U.N.’s General Assembly, adding that the delegation would continue to walk out until France abandons its “condescending and disrespectful rhetoric.”

The meeting, which addressed Russia’s war against Ukraine, came mere days after the U.N.’s General Assembly opened a rift between the U.S. and allied nations over a vote to confirm Volker Türk for a second four-year term as the chief human rights officer for the organization.

Türk has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s war on Gaza and publicly criticized the U.S. government for its handling of its war with Iran. The U.S. previously accused Türk of leading the organization’s human rights mission “to its deathbed.”

Türk was confirmed by 144 member nations. Quickly after the vote, the U.S. denounced Volker’s confirmation as “another example of the UN’s inherent corruption and incompetence.” At least 10 countries voted against Volker’s nomination alongside the U.S., including Israel, North Korea, and Russia.

Before the walkout, the U.S. and France’s delegations shared heated exchanges online.

“The US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore. Today, it stands alongside North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali & Russia, isolated. And the world no longer listens to it,” France’s mission to the UN posted on X.

“France voted for someone who has been lecturing, free, sovereign democracies like the United States, the UK, and Israel, while cozying up to the world’s worst oppressors,” U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz responded.

Under the Trump administration the U.S., which had historically been the U.N.’s largest financial contributor, has cut funding by more than $8 billion to U.N. specialized agencies and peacekeeping missions.