Paris fumes after NATO secretary-general tells the European Parliament that the continent could not defend itself without America.

The French government responded curtly to Mark Rutte after the NATO secretary-general said Europe could not defend itself without the U.S.

“No, dear Mark Rutte. Europeans can and must take charge of their own security. Even the United States agrees. This is the European pillar of NATO,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.

On Monday, answering a question from French far-right MEP Pierre-Romain Thionnet, Rutte told the European Parliament that the continent cannot defend itself without American support. He also pushed back against the idea of a European army — a concept revived recently by EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius — and said a “European pillar [of NATO] is a bit of an empty word.”