The US ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, should no longer have direct access to members of the French government because he did not appear at the Foreign Ministry in Paris despite being summoned.
02/24/2026, 04:1902/24/2026, 04:19
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot called for the measure “in view of this obvious lack of understanding of the basic expectations of an ambassador,” diplomatic circles said. Kushner was due to report to the ministry on Monday evening to hear statements from the US government about the alleged murder of a right-wing activist from France.
Charles Kushner is sanctioned by the French government.Image: keystone
“He didn’t show up,” was the statement from diplomatic circles. Kushner can therefore continue to come to the State Department for talks “to eliminate the irritations that can inevitably arise in a 250-year-old friendship.” According to a diplomatic source, the US ambassador was represented by an embassy representative at the meeting on Monday evening due to personal obligations.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.Image: keystone
The US Embassy in France had previously distributed a message from the US State Department’s counterterrorism office on X, in which a killing in Lyon was seen as evidence of a worrying threat from left-wing extremist violence. In mid-February, a 23-year-old activist was attacked and fatally injured on the sidelines of a right-wing rally. French authorities are currently investigating whether and to what extent left-wing extremist groups were involved.
Paris Foreign Minister Barrot rejected the US government’s statements and replied that there was no need for instruction. After the ambassador was summoned, the restriction of his access to government is another clear diplomatic signal of dissatisfaction. However, it is not a formal sanction under international law; Kushner remains officially an ambassador. (sda/dpa)