Transcript: Emmanuel Macron on "Face the Nation"

The following is a transcript of an interview with French President Emmanuel Macron that aired Sunday, April 18, 2021, on "Face the Nation."

MARGARET BRENNAN: France's COVID death toll just reached 100-thousand, and the country is currently in its third national lockdown. We spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron from Élysée Palace in Paris earlier and asked when those restrictions will be lifted in France, and when Americans can travel there again.

PRESIDENT MACRON: We will progressively lift the restrictions of the beginning of May, which means that we will organize in the summertime with our professionals in France for French European citizens, but as well for American citizens. So we are working hard to propose a very concrete solution, especially for U.S. citizens who are vaccinated, so with a special pass, I would say.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Have you worked that out with the White House?

PRESIDENT MACRON: We- we, yes, we started to discuss that. Now our ministers in charge are finalizing the technical discussions. In terms of method, in fact, we are building a European certificate to facilitate the travels after these restrictions between the different European countries with testing and vaccination. And the idea indeed is altogether to offer that to the American citizen when they decided to vaccinate or with a- a PCR test being negative. So the idea is indeed to always control the virus, to maximize the vaccination and to progressively lift the restrictions.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Mr. President, the European Union has been slow. As you know, that has hurt your country in rolling out these vaccines. Given that you need vaccines right now, are you going to buy Russia's Sputnik vaccine to make up for the shortfall.

PRESIDENT MACRON: Because of the fact that we accelerated production in Europe, we are definitely catching up and we will be in the situation to meet our targets with what we have now. There are a few member-states decided to have a discussion with Sputnik, but we have a- very few simple principles. First, if there is no recognition of a vaccine by our European sanitary authorities, there is no way to use this vaccine on our soil. And at this stage, the Russian vaccine is not recognized by our authorities. So I don't think that the Russian vaccine today is a solution to an acceleration because it will take time to have the authorization of the European agency and it will take time to produce on our continent such a vaccine.

MARGARET BRENNAN: When will you give away that five percent of vaccine doses that you say rich countries like yours should give to poor countries?

PRESIDENT MACRON: If we don't vaccinate in this country, there is no way to get rid of the virus. Because if we leave this country is being contaminated by COVID-19 in South and Latin America, in Africa, you will have more and more people being contaminated. You will have new variants and they will come back in our countries. So I think this is not sufficient just to be focused on the rich countries. OK, so one year ago we launched this initiative. This is to help them to vaccinate, and this is to help them basically as well to precisely improve their health system, because this is as important as vaccination diagnostics and treatments. We started to do so. Now we have to accelerate. And this is where I do believe your country has a huge hole because you can provide financing. And I- I want to thank the US for the four billion committed to COVAX, which is the vehicle to provide vaccines, but as well for the doses we will send altogether. And I think between now and June, we have to send a maximum doses of vaccine, which is a tiny part of what we get for us, to vaccinate the- the workers of the healthcare system in Africa. It's very limited, but these guys are working hard to preserve the health system and this is something we can do. And same in Latin America.

PRESIDENT MACRON: After summer, we will accelerate these deliveries. We will accelerate this solidarity. And on top of that, what we have to provide is financing as well for these economies.

MARGARET BRENNAN:  We'll have more of our interview in our next half hour, stay with us.

(Commercial Break)

MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome back to Face the Nation. Thursday is Earth Day and President Biden will be hosting a global virtual summit to discuss the climate challenges facing us all.   CBS News is devoting this week to an extensive look at climate change in our series Eye on Earth: Our Planet in Peril. We pick up our interview with French President Emmanuel Macron on just that topic.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you about climate. President Biden brought the US back into that Paris climate change accord three months ago, but hardly any of the countries that signed it, including yours, have actually met their targets. And now President Biden is going to ask for further cuts to emissions. What makes you think it'll be achievable this time?

PRESIDENT MACRON: Yes, I think because now it's time to deliver. It's time to rush, and President Biden is 100% right to do so. But I think the decision taken by your president in general this year was super important. Welcome back. I was extremely happy because now the U.S. and the federal government decided to join again and to commit. Second, as Europeans, we increased our targets for 2030 and 2050 a few months ago because indeed we were lagging behind in comparison with our targets. And now we have to accelerate because we are living the first consequences of basically climate disorders.

PRESIDENT MACRON: This is even more urgent than five years ago. So your president is right to increase--

MARGARET BRENNAN: But don't you need China and India--

PRESIDENT MACRON: --the targets. I think--

MARGARET BRENNAN: --to make new commitments?

PRESIDENT MACRON: Yes, you're right. We need two things. We need to accelerate innovation and ability to deliver. We need India and China to be with us. India is very committed and they- they are an emerging country. This is a huge democracy with a lot of inequality to deal with. But they launched with us this solar initiative two years, three years ago now. They are improving the system and they committed to reduce especially HFC emissions since they are super super-polluters, and even worse than CO2. China remained in Paris Agreement. They increased the targets, but they are still for carbon neutrality in 2060 and a peak in 2030. Chancellor Merkel, we had a discussion with President Xi and I think we- we felt the commitments of President Xi on climate to work with the US and with Europe. First to accelerate its target of 2030 to have the peak emission, and in some cities and some regions to do better and faster.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Don't leaders like yourself need to just speak plainly to the public and say, look, this needs to happen. It may cost you your job. It may mean prices go up. But this is a price that all of you have to pay in order to meet these targets?

PRESIDENT MACRON: Look, I think obviously we will have to change a lot of things in our economy. We have to increase the price of carbon and we have to help this transition to happen for entrepreneurs and our households. If you go to them, I mean, the White House or the Élysée Palace to say, now, guys, you will have to adapt yourself, you will pay a much higher price and so on, I can tell you- you will increase social inequalities. I- I did such a mistake, I have to say, and I can- here, I can tell you in 2018 because we underestimate the impact on middle classes. So you have to accompany people. And we have to accept for a few years to invest public money in these transitions to help innovation and diffusion of this innovation. You have to accept to change business models and behavior of investors to finance green investments and to penalize those who don't make this move. And you have to accept to accompany your households to make these investments and make it feasible for them. We have to help middle classes and poor people to make this change with us. This is a comprehensive and inclusive agenda. I'm- I'm sure about that now. And I can tell you with a lot of humility, I'm even more sure because I- I made mistakes myself.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Mr. President, there are roughly 31,000 Russian troops amassed on the border of Ukraine right now. What will France do if Vladimir Putin invades?

PRESIDENT MACRON: I think the situation is unacceptable, Russia, has to de-escalate. This is clear. The situation today and the level of tension at the border is absolutely counterproductive and unacceptable. We want now a political process to deal with some Ukrainian regions and to pacify- for stability and peace for Ukraine and Ukrainian people--

MARGARET BRENNAN: But Vladimir Putin has blown that off for years. And- and sanctions have not stopped him. Those diplomatic efforts have not stopped him. You yourself have referenced NATO as being "brain dead." What is actually going to stop Vladimir Putin from invading?

PRESIDENT MACRON: Look, I think what happened a few years ago when Ukraine was invaded, it's not a failure of diplomacy, it's a failure of our collective credibility vis-à-vis Russia. And I think when we put red lines, we have to make them re- respected by our people and- and the others. And I think we have to be clear and tough. It was a failure of a naive approach vis-à-vis Russia. I'm- I'm- I'm definitely in favor of discussion with Russia, with an open, quiet and respectful discussion with Russia. But I think that when we put red lines, we have to be sure to be credible and to make these red lines respected by the others.

PRESIDENT MACRON: Now in Ukraine, if we want to be efficient, we have to accelerate the diplomatic agenda and US, Europe, all of us have to be very clear vis-à-vis Russia. We will never accept a new military operations on Ukrainian soil and we have to build the way to be credible vis-à-vis that.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you think that what President Biden did with sanctions will have any- make any difference to Vladimir Putin this time? Will it stop him?

PRESIDENT MACRON: I think we- we need an approach to be clear, based on- on- on- on two pillars, one dialogue and I- I fully share, as well as the willingness of your president to dialogue. And I'm sure that President Putin can be ready to reopen dialogue. But if we want a better system in terms of arms control, if we want to stabilize a lot of existing crises in the world today, we need an open and frank dialogue with Russia. On the other side we have to be clear--

MARGARET BRENNAN: So you will- will you sanction Russia if he invades?

PRESIDENT MACRON: --when- when- when we are not aligned. And I think after an unacceptable behavior, indeed, we have to sanction. This is what we did after Ukraine or after a- a series of crises which happen. And I think we have to define clear redlines with Russia.

PRESIDENT MACRON: This is the only way to be credible. I think that sanctions are not sufficient in itself, in themselves, but sanctions are part of the package.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Mr. President, I'm being told that we are running out of time, but I want to thank you for your time today.

PRESIDENT MACRON: Thank you very much. No, I was happy to have the opportunity to answer your questions, and- and I- I- I just want to pass a very clear and simple message.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

PRESIDENT MACRON: I think we are all of us, in- in the middle of a terrible crisis and a lot of fears: COVID-19, climate change, and so- insecurity, inequalities and so on. I do believe that our common values- I do believe that our strong faith in open and liberal democracies is the best way to address these challenges. We will have to invent a new model. We will have to regulate this capitalism. We will have to deal with- with inequalities. We will have to reinvent a new narrative and new actions, new investment in green technologies, new cooperation for vaccination. I think we have the opportunity to do it together and to build and invent our future. I'm a strong believer in this positive and ambitious agenda together, and I hope we will deliver hand-in-hand together, thank you.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We will watch for that Mr. President, thank you.

The following is a transcript of Margaret Brennan's full interview with French President Emmanuel Macron

Full interview: French President Emmanuel Macron on "Face the Nation"

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