Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Emmanuel Macron (L) with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, June 28. Photo: Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a televised speech Friday that Emmanuel Macron's recent warning about NATO was a “sick and shallow” interpretation, sniping at the French president to have his own "brain death" checked, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: Erdogan's attacks on Macron, whom he also called a "novice" that knows how to "show off," come just days before NATO leaders are set to meet in London for a summit.
The big picture: Macron said in a November interview that the trans-Atlantic alliance faces "brain death" because of U.S. unpredictability under President Trump and strained relations with Turkey.
- The French and Turkish leaders have been exchanging criticism since Ankara’s offensive in northeast Syria against Kurdish forces in the region, who are backed by the U.S., France and other NATO allies.
- Turkey has refused to back NATO's defense plan for three Baltic states and Poland until it receives political support for its incursion in northern Syria.
What they're saying: "I am talking to France's President Emmanuel Macron, and I will also say this at NATO. First of all, have your own brain death checked. These statements are suitable only to people like you who are in a state of brain death," Erdoğan said in the speech, according to Al Jazeera.
- The French Foreign Ministry responded by summoning Turkey’s ambassador to Paris. “Let’s be clear, these are not statements, they are insults," a French presidential adviser said. "The president says things clearly. It’s up to Turkey to provide the answers that we and many allies expect."
- “Turkey can’t take the defense plans of Poland and the Baltic countries hostage,” the adviser added.
Go deeper: