France’s dispute with the United States deepened on Tuesday as French Foreign Minister Jean‑Noël Barrot said US Ambassador Charles Kushner must respond to a formal summons and will not have access to French government officials until he does.
French authorities summoned Kushner, father of Jared Kushner, for a meeting on Monday evening after Paris objected to comments from the Trump administration about the killing of far‑right activist Quentin Deranque. French diplomats say the ambassador simply did not show up.
Barrot told France Info that Kushner’s failure to attend was “a surprise” and a breach of diplomatic protocol that would “naturally affect his capacity to exercise his mission” in France. He stressed that an ambassador cannot function without access to government officials.
“He is bringing difficulties on himself,” Barrot said. “When these explanations have taken place, then the US ambassador in France will, naturally, regain access.”
The US Embassy has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
What Sparked the Summons
The French Foreign Ministry acted after the US State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau posted on X that “violent radical leftism is on the rise” and linked it to Deranque’s death. The US Embassy in Paris reposted the same message in French.
Deranque, a 23‑year‑old nationalist student, died after being beaten during clashes between far‑left and far‑right groups in Lyon earlier this month.
Barrot said France would not accept foreign governments inserting themselves into its domestic political debates. “We must have an explanation with him,” he said. “We don’t accept that foreign countries can come and interfere.”
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