France had compared the USA to North Korea – triggering outrage in Washington. Now the argument escalated.
July 27, 2026, 9:00 p.mJuly 27, 2026, 9:01 p.m
There has been a diplomatic scandal between France and the USA in the UN Security Council. In a highly unusual move, US representatives walked out of the session of the United Nations’ most powerful body on Monday as France’s UN ambassador Jerome Bonnafont took the floor. French UN representatives had previously compared the USA with the authoritarian North Korea, triggering outrage in Washington.
US diplomat Dan Negrea had previously responded to the French criticism. (archive image)Image: www.imago-images.de
The comparison had already been made on Friday when the UN General Assembly voted on a four-year extension of the mandate of UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk. The US was one of ten countries, including North Korea, Nicaragua and Russia, to speak out against extending Turk’s term in office.
“The USA was once a beacon of human rights. They are no longer that,” wrote the French UN mission in Geneva. “Today they stand isolated on the side of North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali and Russia. And the world doesn’t listen to them anymore.”
“Lying sensationalism”: USA attacks France
US diplomat Dan Negrea criticized these French statements on Monday as “mendacious sensationalism”. “There is a member of this council who feigns moral outrage and acts as if he can lecture us all on any subject,” said Negrea, apparently referring to France.
These “teachings” occurred “even on issues that have nothing to do with international peace and security, such as human rights,” Negrea said. That is why the USA left the meeting of the UN Security Council while France was speaking.
France and the USA are permanent members of the UN Security Council. Both have veto rights. Monday’s meeting was about the war in Ukraine.
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