France has apologized for having previously claimed Washington is no longer a \u201cbeacon of human rights\u201d<\/p>\n
France has backed down in a diplomatic fight with the US, expressing regret for publicly questioning Washington\u2019s commitment to human rights after the dispute threatened to derail Paris\u2019 choice of ambassador.
\nThe spat began in July, when France\u2019s mission to the UN in Geneva attacked the US for joining Russia, North Korea and several other countries in voting against another term for Volker Turk, the Austrian diplomat who serves as the UN high commissioner for human rights.
\n\u201cThe US used to be a beacon of human rights. Not anymore,\u201d the French mission wrote at the time, adding that \u201cthe world no longer listens to it.\u201d
\nWashington responded angrily, with the US delegation demonstratively walking out while France was speaking at a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine, and accusing Paris of \u201cdisingenuous grandstanding\u201d and \u201ccondescending and disrespectful rhetoric.\u201d
\nReuters later reported that the Trump administration was also considering delaying or blocking French President Emmanuel Macron\u2019s nominee for ambassador to Washington.
\nTwo months later, Paris has changed its tune.
\n\u201cThe Permanent Mission of France to the UN in Geneva regrets the 25 July 2026 message posted on X that called into question the US commitment to human rights,\u201d the mission said in a statement published on Friday.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Macron laments that US is not a reliable partner<\/p>\n
It went on to praise the US as one of the architects of the UN Charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights, stressing that the two countries remain historic allies committed to \u201cfreedom, democracy, and human dignity.\u201d
\nThe US State Department welcomed the statement, saying Washington \u201cnotes and appreciates\u201d France\u2019s position.
\nThe episode comes after months of worsening relations between Paris and Washington. Macron has repeatedly questioned whether the US remains a reliable ally, warned other countries against becoming Washington\u2019s \u201cvassals,\u201d and opposed the US-led war against Iran.
\nHe has also clashed with the Trump administration over tariffs, NATO, online speech, and American sanctions on European officials, asserting that Washington\u2019s unpredictable policies are forcing other countries to seek greater independence from the US.
\nRelations became particularly strained in February after Washington accused France of failing to confront \u201cviolent radical leftism\u201d following the killing of a right-wing activist. Trump has also repeatedly accused European governments of freeloading on American security while restricting free speech and obstructing his foreign-policy agenda.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
France has apologized for having previously claimed Washington is no longer a \u201cbeacon of human rights\u201d France has backed down in a diplomatic fight with the US, expressing regret for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38099,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t