listen to this article4 minutes
information
France has banned U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner from meeting with French government ministers after he failed to attend a meeting at the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs in Paris to explain comments made by the Trump administration in response to the recent killing of a French far-right activist.
France’s foreign ministry announced the decision on Monday as diplomatic relations between Paris and Washington continue to deteriorate over several disagreements, including trade tariffs, the war in Ukraine and Europe’s role in countering Russia.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
“Given his clear inability to understand the basic requirements of the ambassador’s mission and the honor of representing his country, the Minister (Jean-Noël Barrault) has requested that he no longer be allowed direct contact with French government officials,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The US ambassador will be able to continue his diplomatic duties and “interact” with officials, the ministry added.
Barot summoned Kushner after the US embassy in Paris reposted on Sunday comments from the Trump administration in Washington about the death of far-right activist Quentin Delanque, 23, who was bludgeoned to death in a scuffle with far-left activists that shocked France.
Instead of responding to Barot’s summons personally, Mr. Kushner sent a senior embassy official in his place, citing personal commitments, AFP news agency reported, citing diplomatic sources.
In a speech Tuesday, Barot said his failure to attend was a “surprise” that violated diplomatic protocol and would impede Kushner’s ability to serve as ambassador.
“I have to explain it to him,” Barot said in an interview with public broadcaster France Info. “We will not accept foreign countries intervening in national political debates and inviting us.”
“Once these clarifications have been made, the U.S. ambassador to France will, of course, resume contact with French government officials,” he added.
This was not the first time an ambassador had refused a subpoena from the French Foreign Ministry.
He was also called to the ministry in August 2025 after the French government took exception to Kushner’s criticism that French President Emmanuel Macron was not tackling anti-Semitism.
Kushner was represented at the meeting by the US chargé d’affaires.
The US Embassy in Paris and the US State Department have not yet commented on the measures imposed on the ambassador.
Kushner’s refusal to meet with the minister made the front pages of French newspapers on Tuesday, with headlines reading “tensions are rising” between the ministry and the U.S. embassy, France 24 news agency reported.
“We have no lessons to learn.”
Kushner, the father of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, has become a lightning rod for controversy in the US.
He was previously convicted of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion, and witness tampering, and was sentenced to two years in prison and had his law license revoked.
He was later pardoned by Trump.
The original post on social media, which infuriated the French government and was later shared by the U.S. Embassy, was made by the U.S. State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau and said Delanque’s killing “should concern us all.”
The post also warned of the rise of the “violent radical left” in France and its role in Delanque’s death, saying it “demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety.”
“We continue to monitor the situation and look forward to seeing the perpetrators of the violence brought to justice,” it added.
Mr. Barot was furious at the U.S. government’s comments and said France did not need a speech.
“There are no lessons to be learned from the international reactionary movement, especially when it comes to violence,” he said in announcing he would summon Kushner to talks on Monday.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also mentioned Mr Delanc’s death, sparking a war of words with Mr Macron, who asked him to stop “commenting on what is happening in other countries”.
