US walks out on France at UN meeting over human rights remark

The United States delegation abruptly left a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, protesting France's comments comparing Washington's human rights voting record to authoritarian states. The walkout occurred as France was discussing the situation in Ukraine and criticizing the US for its opposition to a second four-year term for UN human rights chief Volker Türk.

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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.

This diplomatic spat underscores rising tensions between the US and its European allies, particularly France. The relationship has been strained by various issues, including President Donald Trump's past threats and European countries' reluctance to support US actions, such as in the Iran conflict. French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal for a European military buildup, with France leading a nuclear deterrent, further signals a divergence in security approaches.

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The US was among those that abstained.

Volker Türk's reappointment as UN human rights chief proceeded with overwhelming support, garnering 144 votes in the General Assembly, with only 10 countries voting against it and 13 abstentions, including the US. Following the vote, the French Mission on X stated, "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."

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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.

In response, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz accused France of supporting "some of the worst human rights abusers" and voting for someone who "lectures free, sovereign democracies" while aligning with "the world's worst oppressors." US diplomat Dan Negrea declared that the US "will not be affording them the benefit of listening to their politicised drivel until they renounce their condescending and disrespectful rhetoric."

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coddling “some of the worst human rights abusers” and voting “for someone who has been lecturing free, sovereign democracies like the United States, the UK, and Israel, while cosying up to the world’s worst oppressors.”