On July 27th, local time, during an urgent public meeting of the United Nations Security Council regarding Ukraine, the US representative left the room while the French representative was speaking. Subsequently, Dan Nerayya, the US representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, accused France of acting in a moralistic manner, pretending to dictate policies on every topic including human rights.
Ngreya said, "This kind of hypocritical showmanship is tiresome, but out of friendship and mutual respect among the five permanent members of the council, we have tolerated it."
Dan Neregia – Associated Press video screenshot
According to the Associated Press and Anadolu News Agency, the reason for this departure was a post posted by the French Permanent Mission to the United Nations on the 24th, which criticized the United States's opposition to Turkel's re-election as High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Earlier that day, the United Nations General Assembly approved the proposal put forward by the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Turk to be re-elected as the High Commissioner for Human Rights with an overwhelming majority of 144 votes in favor, 10 against, and 13 abstentions. The United States was one of the countries that voted against the proposal.
According to reports, Turk has criticized Russia’s special military actions and Israel’s warfare in the Gaza Strip. He also urged a “major rethinking” of American immigration policies before the 2026 World Cup, addressing issues such as “racial discrimination, surveillance, and immigration enforcement.”
The French Permanent Mission to the United Nations wrote on social media: "The United States was once a beacon of human rights, but it is no longer. Today, it stands together with North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali, and Russia, being isolated. The world no longer listens to its words."
The United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Mike Wormald, responded by writing an article, accusing France of tolerating "some of the most egregious human rights violators," and voting in favor of "a person who has been pointing fingers at democratic countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel, while flirting with the world's worst oppressors."
At the meeting on July 27th, Negria stated that the United States supported France in every conflict where "freedom was threatened." "Today, I want to remind them: The United States remains a beacon of freedom in the world. Therefore, we will not listen to their politicized nonsense, until they abandon their condescending and disrespectful language, and act in a manner that is consistent with their position on the Security Council."
French Permanent Representative at the United Nations, Jean-Bernard Kouchner, responded when asked to speak after the meeting. He did not mention leaving the event, but pointed out that France had helped the United States gain independence and participated in the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States on July 4th. "The purpose of the United Nations is to strive for international peace and security, human rights, and development. All these constitute the spirit of French work at the United Nations, aimed at maintaining this institution and its independence, and its ability to act in accordance with the Charter to serve human rights and peace."
According to an analysis by the Associated Press, the US withdrawal not only reflects the increasingly tense relations between U.S. President Trump and French President Macron, but also indicates broader tensions between the United States and Europe.
