Stoltenberg responds to Macron's statement on NATO "brain death"

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he doesn't agree with French President Emmanuel Macron who described NATO as "brain dead."

Pointing to what she described as Macron's "drastic words", German Chancellor Angela Merkel said yesterday the transatlantic military pact was "indispensable" for European security.

Stoltenberg agreed with Merkel, saying any attempt to distance Europe from the U.S. was also endangering European Union security. He called for stepped-up cooperation within NATO in a bid to strengthen the Western military alliance, Anadolu Agency reported.

Earlier, Macron has warned Europe is facing the "brain death of NATO," caused by American indifference to the transatlantic alliance.