France's foreign minister has demanded an explanation after the US ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, failed to show up to respond to comments about a slain far-right activist but said ties between France and the United States would not be affected.

France's foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, summoned Kushner after the US embassy in Paris reposted comments by the Trump administration which denounced "terrorism" and left-wing violence in France after the killing of 23 year-old far-right activist Quentin Deranque.

Deranque died from head injuries following clashes between radical-left and far-right supporters on the sidelines of a protest against a politician from the hard-left France Unbowed party in Lyon.

The new diplomatic row broke out after Kushner, whose son Jared is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka, already criticized France for what he said was its insufficient action against antisemitism. Kushner was summoned to the French ministry last year but skipped that meeting as well, sending an official instead.

Barrot has said that Kushner will regain full access to the French government once he provides an explanation. Speaking to France's public broadcaster France Info on Tuesday, Barrot described the failure to show a "surprise" and that Kushner failed to respect "the most basic customs of diplomacy".

"We do not accept that foreign countries can come and interfere in, then insert themselves into, our national political debate, whatever the circumstances."

He added that Paris also wished to raise the issue of US sanctions against several European figures, including former European Commissioner Thierry Breton.

However Barrot said the new incident would not affect the Franco-US relationship.  

"It has weathered other storms, but this will naturally affect his ability to carry out his mission in our country," he said.

Who is Charles Kushner?

Kushner, 71, is a multimillionaire real estate developer and former attorney, but he is not a professional diplomat. The envoy spent time in prison after pleading guilty in 2004 to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and illegal campaign contributions, a conviction that US president Donald Trump pardoned in 2020.

Kushner's behaviour has raised eyebrows even among US diplomats. "One of the basic rules is that when you are summoned by the host country's foreign minister, you show up. On time," Charles Shapiro, a former US ambassador to Venezuela, said on X. "It's not optional."

In December 2024, Trump defended the choice of Kushner's appointment.

"It's a great thing because he's in our family," Trump told the French magazine Paris Match. "Essentially a family member of mine is coming to France, I am not sure it's happening anywhere else."