France has restricted US Ambassador to Paris Charles Kushner’s access to senior French officials after he failed to attend a formal summons issued by the French foreign ministry, escalating a diplomatic dispute between the two countries. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Tuesday that the ambassador would not regain normal access to government representatives until he responds to the request for explanations.
French authorities had summoned Kushner for a meeting on Monday following comments from the Trump administration that Paris viewed as inappropriate interference in domestic affairs. According to the foreign ministry, the ambassador did not appear for the scheduled discussion, prompting criticism from French officials. The US Embassy in Paris did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the incident.
Barrot described Kushner’s absence as a breach of standard diplomatic practice, stating that responding to such summonses is a routine obligation for ambassadors. He said the failure to attend would directly affect Kushner’s ability to carry out his duties, since diplomatic engagement depends on access to government officials. The minister added that once the requested explanations are provided, normal diplomatic access would be restored.
The dispute stems from statements issued by the US State Department’s Counterterrorism Bureau concerning the death of Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old nationalist activist who died after being beaten during clashes between far-left and far-right groups in Lyon earlier this month. A message posted online by US officials suggested that “violent radical leftism” was on the rise and linked it to the incident, a position French authorities objected to, arguing that foreign governments should not intervene in France’s internal political debate.
Barrot said France sought clarification from the ambassador regarding the remarks, emphasising that summoning an envoy for explanations is a normal diplomatic procedure. He also stressed that the disagreement was a personal matter related to the ambassador’s conduct and would not damage broader relations between France and the United States.
The episode follows a previous diplomatic disagreement last August, when French officials also summoned Kushner after he sent a letter to President Emmanuel Macron criticising France’s handling of antisemitism. On that occasion, Kushner did not attend the meeting personally and instead sent a deputy representative.
French officials maintain that the current restriction on access will remain in place until the ambassador complies with the summons and engages directly with the government to address the concerns raised.
