Europeans want US missiles to defend them, not America — and Rubio's had enough of their hypocrisy

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called out European officials on Wednesday for criticizing America's self-defense while expecting the U.S. to provide military support for their own.

The Trump administration has obliterated at least 19 alleged narco-terrorist drug boats since Sept. 2 with the stated aim of "protecting the homeland and killing these cartel terrorists who wish to harm our country and its people."

'I don't think that the European Union gets to determine ... how the United States defends its national security.'

President Donald Trump has suggested that each drug boat vaporized by U.S. fighter jets, AC-130J gunships, and drones amounts to 25,000 American lives saved.

A day after War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the U.S. had sunk an additional two boats in the Eastern Pacific, altogether killing six alleged narco-terrorists, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot joined the chorus of foreign dignitaries who have been complaining about the strikes.

Barrot reportedly said at the G7 summit on Tuesday, "We have observed with concern the military operations in the Caribbean region, because they violate international law and because France has a presence in this region through its overseas territories, where more than a million of our compatriots reside."

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Photo by Omar Zaghloul/Anadolu via Getty Images

When confronted with questions about the U.S. maritime strikes during a meeting with Latin American leaders last week, the European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that the EU upholds international law and "international law is very clear on that. You can use force for two reasons: one is self-defense, the other one is the U.N. Security Council resolution."

Rubio addressed the European pearl-clutching on Wednesday, politely suggesting to reporters that the continentals should pound sand.

"I don't think that the European Union gets to determine what international law is, and what they certainly don't get to determine is how the United States defends its national security," said Rubio. "The United States is under attack from organized criminal narco-terrorists in our hemisphere, and the president is responding in the defense of our country."

After indicating that the Europeans are out of their depth, Rubio hammered America's allies across the Atlantic for their apparent hypocrisy.

"I do find it interesting that all these countries want us to send, you know, and supply, for example, nuclear-capable Tomahawk missiles to defend Europe, but when the United States positions aircraft carriers in our hemisphere where we live, somehow that's a problem," said the secretary of state.

Rubio added, "The president ordered it in defense of our country. It continues. It’s ongoing. It can stop tomorrow if [terrorist cartels] stop sending drug boats."