France bans US ambassador in Paris from meeting with local officials after he skips official appointment

The U.S. ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, will no longer be able to meet with French government officials. This was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after considering that the ambassador violated diplomatic protocol by not showing up for a meeting. The controversy began after the U.S. Embassy in Paris condemned the murder of conservative activist Quentin Deranque, 23.

"In light of this apparent failure to grasp the basic requirements of the ambassadorial mission and the honor of representing one’s country," Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot "has requested that he no longer be allowed direct access to members of the French government," the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"It's, of course, possible that Ambassador Charles Kushner could carry out his mission and come to the Quai d’Orsay so that we can have the diplomatic exchanges that would allow us to smooth out the irritants that, inevitably, can arise in a 250-year-old friendship," it added.

The controversy between Paris and Kushner began when the official account of the U.S. Embassy in France reposted a publication by the State Department's Office of Counterterrorism, warning that "violent radical leftism" was on the rise.

The initial publication referred to the murder of Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old conservative activist who was allegedly beaten to death by leftist militants. He was brutally beaten in the street on February 12 and died of brain injuries two days later.

"TThe information, corroborated by the French Minister of the Interior, according to which Quentin Deranque would have been killed by far-left militants, should concern us all. Violent left-wing extremism is on the rise, and its role in the death of Quentin Deranque demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety. We will continue to follow the situation and hope that the perpetrators of these acts of violence are brought to justice," read the embassy's release in X.

So far, two people have been charged with murder in connection with Deranque's death, and a total of 11 have been arrested.

Subsequently, the Foreign Ministry summoned the U.S. ambassador to a meeting, which he did not attend. Deeming it a violation of diplomatic protocol, France decided to deny him meetings with government officials.

Kushner, a philanthropist and father of Jared Kushner, was confirmed as ambassador to France in May 2025. The Senate vote ended with 51 in favor and 46 opposed. Cory Booker was the only Democrat to vote in favor of his nomination.