US walks out on France at UN meeting to protest ally's criticism of America's human rights record - AP News

What the report says

The Associated Press reported that U.S. diplomats briefly left a U.N. Security Council meeting on Ukraine on Monday while French representatives were speaking, in protest over France’s criticism of the Trump administration’s human rights record. The incident came after Washington opposed a second four-year term for U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, whose reappointment was approved Friday by a General Assembly vote of 144-10 with 13 abstentions. France supported Türk’s continuation in the role.

According to AP, the immediate trigger was a post by France’s U.N. Mission in Geneva that said the United States was no longer a human rights “beacon” and was isolated alongside countries such as North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali and Russia. U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz responded on X by accusing France of shielding abusive governments and backing an official who, in his view, unfairly criticized democracies including the United States, Britain and Israel.

After the walkout, deputy U.S. ambassador Dan Negrea accused France of “disingenuous grandstanding” and said Washington would not listen to what he called politicized criticism unless France changed its tone. France’s U.N. Ambassador Jerome Bonnafont did not directly address the walkout when later invited to speak, instead emphasizing France’s support for the United Nations’ work on peace, development and human rights.

AP framed the episode as a sign of broader strain between President Donald Trump’s administration and European allies, including tensions over NATO, U.S. forces in Europe and Trump’s stated interest in Greenland. The dispute also highlights the politically sensitive role of the U.N. rights chief, whose mandate involves publicly scrutinizing governments, including powerful member states.