France restricted access

By Valeria Nickel

Paris (dpa) — The US ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, has been denied direct access to French government members after failing to attend a summons at the Foreign Ministry, diplomatic sources said on Monday.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot requested the measure in view of a misunderstanding of the basic expectations of an ambassador, the sources said.

Kushner had been asked to appear at the ministry on Monday evening over comments by the US administration concerning the suspected killing of a right-wing activist in France. However, he failed to make an appearance.

The ambassador can still attend meetings at the Foreign Ministry in order to have the diplomatic communication needed to smooth over the irritants that inevitably arise in a 250-year-old friendship, the sources added.

Earlier, the US embassy in France shared a statement from the US State Department’s counterterrorism bureau on X which described the killing of a 23-year-old right-wing activist in Lyon as evidence of a worrying threat from left-wing extremist violence.

In mid-February, the 23-year-old, who according to French media belonged to several far-right groups, was attacked and fatally injured on the sidelines of a right-wing rally in Lyon. French authorities are investigating whether and to what extent left-wing extremist groups were involved.

Barrot rejected the US administration’s remarks, saying France did not need to be lectured.

The restriction on Kushner’s access to senior officials marks a further diplomatic signal of dissatisfaction following his summons, but it does not constitute a formal sanction under international law. He remains officially in post as ambassador.