BRUSSELS (AFP) - US President Barack Obama on Thursday said he would make absolutely "no apologies" for doing a deal with the Taleban over US Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, which sparked a political storm in Washington.

"We saw an opportunity and we seized it and I make no apologies for it," Obama said at a news conference at a G7 summit in Brussels.

Obama also addressed the fierce criticism from Republicans and some Democratic allies that he did not sufficiently inform Congress over the exchange of five Taleban prisoners for Bergdahl who was kept in captivity for nearly five years.

Critics say that Obama endangered US national security by returning five key figures to the Taleban

"I am never surprised by controversies that are whipped up in Washington. That is par for the course," Obama said.