Macron proud of NATO ‘brain death’ comment, says wake-up call needed

French President Emmanuel Macron has congratulated himself on comments he made about the “brain death” of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

He noted that the alliance needed a “wake-up call,” at a news conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg ahead of next week’s summit.

“The questions I asked are open questions that have not been resolved,” Macron says following their talks in Paris.

U.S., Canada, Britain, and other European countries are members of the organisation.

All of the members have agreed to support one another if they were attacked.

Macron pointed out matters including peace in Europe, relations with Russia, the issue of Turkey, and the question of who the shared enemy is.

“The last two summits were devoted solely to working out how we could lighten … the financial cost to the U.S.,” Macron said, speaking of a “glaring disconnect” between this debate and the challenges facing the alliance.

Stoltenberg, meanwhile, stresses that despite disagreements within the alliance, “the foundations of NATO are strong.

“We will continue to adapt, continue to modernise and together we will look on how we can further strengthen NATO’s political role.”