US ambassador to Paris banned from meeting French ministers after no-show

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by Jon Henley Europe correspondentFebruary 23, 2026 at 10:58 PM

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US Ambassador to Paris Charles Kushner has been banned from meeting French government ministers after failing to attend a meeting at the foreign ministry to explain US comments about the killing of far-right activist Quentin Deranque. The ambassador was summoned to meet with Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, but cited personal commitments and sent a senior official from the embassy in his place instead. This is Kushner's second no-show since his appointment to the Paris embassy last year. The US State Department had previously commented on the case, labeling "violent radical leftism" as a public safety threat. Kushner's failure to attend the meeting led to him being denied direct access to French government officials. He can still have official exchanges with foreign ministry officials.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Emmanuel Macron 50% France Unbowed (LFI) ×250% Donald Trump 60% Jean-Noël Barrot 60% Lyon ×260% US state department 60% United States ×270% Quentin Deranque ×470% US embassy in Paris ×270% France ×480% Charles Kushner ×590%

Keywords

diplomatic relations 90% us ambassador 80% french government 70% no-show 70% far-right activist 60% political violence 50% antisemitism 40% state department comments 40%