US envoy leaves UN meeting after France criticizes rights record
Dan Negrea, a senior US official, walked out of a UN Security Council meeting in protest after the French ambassador compared the United States to authoritarian states over human rights votes. The incident occurred during a session focused on the war in Ukraine. The French mission criticized the US for its recent voting record, saying it now stands with countries like North Korea and Russia. Both the US and France are permanent, veto-wielding members of the Security Council.
What we know
- Dan Negrea called the French comments “disingenuous grandstanding” and criticized France for lecturing other council members.
- The US walked out specifically during France’s intervention at the meeting.
- The French mission to the United Nations in Geneva posted that the US “stands alongside North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali & Russia, isolated.”
- Jerome Bonnafont, the French ambassador, highlighted France’s role in the 250th anniversary of the United States and its commitment to human rights at the UN.
- Such walkouts at the Security Council are described as very rare.
