What is the main topic?

France suspended US Ambassador Charles Kushner’s direct access to government officials after he failed to attend a Feb 23 Foreign Affairs summons tied to remarks on a French activist’s killing.

Why was the ambassador summoned?

He was called in over U.S. statements and X posts about the death of far-right activist Quentin Deranque, which Paris said politicized a domestic tragedy.

Has this happened before?

Yes. In August 2025, Kushner was also summoned after an open letter criticizing France’s response to antisemitism; he did not appear then either.

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Headlines

US ambassador to France banned from meeting French government

Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®

Posted on February 23, 2026

2 min read

Last updated: February 23, 2026

US ambassador to France banned from meeting French government - Headlines news and analysis from Global Banking & Finance Review

U.S. Envoy to France Barred from Meetings with French Government

PARIS, Feb 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, has been banned from meeting members of the French government after not showing up at the Foreign Affairs ministry earlier in the day, where he had been summoned over comments on the killing of a French far-right activist last week, diplomatic sources said on Monday.

Diplomatic Rift Between Paris and Washington

"Following the publication by the U.S. Embassy of comments on a tragedy that occurred in France and concerns only our national public debate – which we refuse to allow to be exploited – ambassador Charles Kushner was summoned today to the ministry. He did not show up," the source added.

U.S. Comments on Lyon Killing

French far-right activist Quentin Deranque was beaten to death in a fight with alleged hard-left activists, in an incident that shocked the nation and has been called "France's Charlie Kirk moment", referring to last year's shooting of the U.S. conservative activist.

The U.S. Embassy in France and the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Counterterrorism said they were monitoring the case, warning on X that "violent radical leftism was on the rise" and should be treated as a public safety threat.

French Ministry's Ban on Meetings

"Faced with this apparent misunderstanding of the basic expectations of an ambassador who has the honour of representing his country, the minister requested that he no longer be allowed direct access to members of the French government," the source added.

Previous Summons in August 2025

This was the second time Kushner did not show after being summoned. In August 2025, he had been asked to explain himself at the French Foreign Affairs ministry after having publicly raised his concern about the rise in anti-Semitic acts in France and criticising the French authorities for not doing enough against it.

Reporting and Editing Credits

Official Statements and Protocol

(Reporting by Michel Rose; Editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten)