"Who Follows an Isolated U.S. Like North Korea!" "How Dare You Lecture Us?" UN Security Council Clashes Head-On… Repeatedly Asking Trump "Where Did That Money Go?" (Trump NOW)

The United States and France, which engaged in a public war of words over the weekend regarding the reappointment of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, clashed head-on once again on the 27th (local time) at the UN Security Council meeting.

The U.S. delegation even left the meeting room as the French representative began speaking.

This latest clash between the two countries stemmed from the vote on the 24th regarding the extension of High Commissioner Türk's term. The UN General Assembly passed a resolution extending his term by four years with 144 votes in favor, 10 against, and 13 abstentions, including France. The U.S. cast a dissenting vote alongside Israel, Russia, and North Korea.

Following this, the Permanent Mission of France to the UN in Geneva publicly criticized the U.S. via X (formerly Twitter).

The French mission wrote, "The U.S. used to be a beacon of human rights, but it is no longer," adding, "Today, the U.S. stands isolated alongside North Korea, Nicaragua, Mali, and Russia, and the world no longer listens to what the U.S. has to say."

In response, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz posted on X, "France lectures free and sovereign democracies like the U.S., the U.K., and Israel, yet voted for an individual who cozies up to the world's worst oppressors."

This appeared to reflect the U.S. perception that while High Commissioner Türk has strongly criticized U.S. immigration policies and Israel's war in Gaza, he has been relatively lenient toward authoritarian nations with severe human rights suppression.

The U.S. has opposed extending his term, arguing that Secretary-General António Guterres was pushing for the reappointment of Türk, a close confidant, ahead of his retirement at the end of this year.

The public war of words spilled over into the Security Council meeting held at UN Headquarters in New York on this day.

Although the meeting was convened to discuss the situation in Ukraine, the U.S. delegation walked out of the room as French Ambassador to the UN Jérôme Bonafont began to speak. Walking out during a Security Council meeting is highly unusual.

U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dan Negrea, who later returned to the room and took the floor, called for an end to the war in Ukraine before targeting France.

Ambassador Negrea formalized his protest over the walkout, stating, "There is a council member that tries to lecture us on every single topic, whether it's conflicts or topics like human rights that have nothing to do with international peace and security," and adding, "That is why we walked out of France's statement."

He said, "Such hypocritical displays are exhausting, but we have endured them out of a spirit of collegiality and mutual respect as a permanent member," adding, "We want to remind them that it is the United States that remains the beacon of freedom in the world."

He also stated, "Until they retract their arrogant and rude remarks and show an attitude befitting a Security Council member, we will not listen to their political nonsense."

Taking the floor for a second time, Ambassador Bonafont did not directly mention the U.S. walkout.

Instead, he mentioned that France helped secure U.S. independence and recently attended events commemorating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. founding, before stating that France operates in accordance with the founding spirit of the UN.

Analysts suggest that while this clash surfaced over High Commissioner Türk's reappointment, it reflects the recently worsened rift between the U.S. and France, and furthermore between the U.S. and Europe.

U.S. President Donald Trump has continued to clash with Europe, including France, over issues such as NATO defense spending burdens, the annexation of the Danish territory of Greenland, and European support for the war in Iran.

(Reported by JIN Sang-myeong | Video by Kim Hye-joo | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.