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The United States staged a walkout during a United Nations Security Council meeting on Ukraine on Monday after accusing France of making inflammatory remarks about Washington’s stance on human rights issues, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between the longtime allies.
The dispute stemmed from a weekend exchange on X, where France criticized the U.S. for voting alongside Russia, North Korea, and several other countries against extending the mandate of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk for another four years. France argued the vote placed Washington alongside authoritarian governments on a key human rights issue.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz rejected the criticism, saying Turk has unfairly targeted democratic nations such as the United States and Israel while failing to adequately confront authoritarian regimes. Waltz did not provide specific examples to support the claim.
During Monday’s Security Council session on Russia’s war in Ukraine, Dan Negrea, the U.S. alternate representative to the U.N., announced that the American delegation left the chamber while France delivered its remarks. He described France’s comments as "disingenuous grandstanding" and "politicized drivel," adding that the U.S. would continue walking out of French statements until Paris abandons what he called "condescending and disrespectful rhetoric."
The confrontation followed the U.N. General Assembly’s decision on Friday to approve a second four-year term for Turk. The proposal, submitted by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, passed with 144 votes in favor, 10 against, and 13 abstentions.
Turk has been an outspoken critic of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s military actions in Gaza, while also calling for investigations into deaths in U.S. immigration detention. His reappointment was opposed by Russia, Israel, and the United States, with Washington warning it could reconsider its funding and engagement with U.N. human rights bodies.
The episode underscores growing friction between the Trump administration and the United Nations, as Washington has reduced funding for several U.N. agencies and withdrawn from multiple U.N. institutions. U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq declined to comment on the walkout, saying only that member states are expected to respect decisions adopted by the General Assembly.
