U.S. diplomats walked out of a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine after accusing France of making "disingenuous grandstanding" by comparing Washington with North Korea, Russia and other authoritarian states.
The walkout followed a weekend of exchanges between the two allies on social media after France criticised the U.S. for voting alongside Russia, North Korea and seven other countries against extending the term of Volker Türk, the UN's human rights chief, by four years.
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz hit back, accusing France of backing a rights chief who criticises democracies such as the U.S. and Israel while "cozying up to the world's worst oppressors."
During Monday's Security Council session on Russia's war in Ukraine, Alternate U.S. Representative Dan Negrea said the American delegation had walked out during France's remarks and would continue to do so until Paris "renounced" what he described as "condescending and disrespectful rhetoric", branding the comments "politicised drivel."
The row centres on Friday's UN General Assembly vote, which overwhelmingly backed a four-year extension for Türk, an outspoken critic of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Israel's actions in Gaza, who has also called for inquiries into deaths in U.S. immigration custody.
The proposal, put forward by Secretary-General António Guterres, passed by 144 votes to 10, with 13 abstentions. Russia, Israel and the U.S. were among those opposed, with Washington threatening to reconsider its funding and engagement with the UN over the decision.
The dispute underscores worsening relations between the Trump administration and the UN, with Washington having already cut funding to numerous bodies within the international organisation and withdrawn from dozens of agencies.
Deputy UN Spokesperson Farhan Haq declined to comment directly on the walkout, saying only that the UN expected member states to respect decisions made through the General Assembly.
Read more from the UN:
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source wh...
Central Asia’s economy has surpassed $543 billion, driven by Kazakhstan’s economic weight, strong exports and foreign investment, while growing tr...
The United Nations refugee agency is planning a settlement and carpet-weaving workshop for Afghan returnees in Kabul as the country grapples with larg...
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Iran to pay compensation for decades of deaths and damage, adding a new demand to peace talks as Tehran seeks compensation and sanctions relief before reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
A criminal court in Damascus has sentenced former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA.
Millions of people across Spain and Iceland are preparing on Wednesday to witness a rare total solar eclipse, when the moon will pass directly between Earth and the Sun, briefly turning daylight into darkness along a narrow path.
Millions of people across Spain and Iceland are preparing on Wednesday to witness a rare total solar eclipse, when the moon will pass directly between Earth and the Sun, briefly turning daylight into darkness along a narrow path.
Ukraine has agreed to refrain from targeting certain tankers using Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk following a request from U.S. Vice President JD Vance, the Financial Times reported, although Kyiv has continued strikes on Russian targets at the port.
Taiwan has criticised a planned joint naval exercise involving China and Indonesia near its eastern waters, describing it as a politically charged move designed to strengthen Beijing's claims over areas surrounding the island.
An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk killed an eight-year-old child, injured others and damaged residential buildings, port infrastructure and grain facilities, Russian officials and industry sources said on Wednesday.
Romanian military divers have destroyed two Gerbera-type drones found drifting near the Neptun Deep offshore gas development in the country’s Black Sea exclusive economic zone.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment