The United States has withheld approval of France’s next ambassador to Washington, holding up an appointment that is normally a formality between allies. The friction followed a July 25 post on X by the French mission to the United Nations in Geneva. A State Department official told Politico the United States was responding appropriately to what it described as “irresponsible and disrespectful rhetoric” from the French side. Lechevallier, a former ambassador to South Africa, would succeed Laurent Bili, who has held the Washington post since 2023. Politico reported that the dispute was expected to be settled and that Washington was not likely to block the nomination outright.