'NATO is Alive': German Foreign Minister Challenges Macron's Statement About Bloc's "Brain Death"

French President Macron lashed out at NATO earlier this month in an Economist interview, saying that the alliance was experiencing a "brain death". He also raised questions regarding the bloc's collective security coordination.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas confronted President Macron's rhetorical statement on "brain-dead" NATO, on Tuesday, saying that the bloc was very much 'alive'.

"One can justifiably say that NATO is alive," Maas said, adding that the alliance remained indispensable for European security.

Earlier this month, the French President branded NATO 'brain-dead' in a bombastic interview with The Economist, where he lamented a complete absence of coordination between Europe and the US on strategic decisions within NATO.

His comments were met with mild criticism by some EU states, as well at NATO head Jens Stoltenberg and US President Trump.

Russia refused to comment on Macron's statement, saying that "we are not forensic pathologists" to provide any estimate of the condition of the alliance.