00:00A call aimed at easing tensions. The U.S. ambassador to Paris, Charles Kushner, spoke
00:06Tuesday with France's foreign minister. Kushner said he did not intend to interfere in France's
00:12domestic political debate. The outreach came a day after the ambassador failed to attend
00:18a requested meeting, where he was expected to explain U.S. comments about the killing
00:23of a far-right activist.
00:27We do not accept that foreign countries can come and interfere or invite themselves into
00:31the national political debate, regardless of the circumstances.
00:35In posts on X, the Trump administration warned that violent radical leftism was on the rise
00:41in France, and said it was closely monitoring the activists' death. Those posts were later
00:47reposted by the U.S. Embassy in Paris, a move the French government condemned. Officials
00:53signaled that Kushner could be caught off from contact with senior members of the government,
00:58a threat that may have prompted the ambassador to pick up the phone. The question now is whether
01:04that will be enough to ease the strain.
01:06The fact that there was a phone call, you know, that's great. But the U.S. Embassy is not far
01:12from the foreign ministry. All the ambassador has to do is get in his car, drive across the
01:16sand, and he's there. And if he's not willing to take that basic step, I could see how that
01:22would put a big damper on the relationship. Charles Kushner is expected to meet with the
01:28French foreign minister in the coming days.
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