The following is the full transcript of an interview with French President Emmanuel Macron, a portion of which aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Sept. 21, 2025.

PARIS (Reuters) -When Sebastien Lecornu gave his first prime-time TV interview hours after resigning as French prime minister on Wednesday, he cast himself as a "soldier monk" — a man of duty who would not shy away if President Emmanuel Macron called him back to battle.

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke exclusively to RFI and its sister television channel France 24 on Wednesday about the twin challenges confronting Europe and the Middle East. Speaking on the

Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized France's decision to recognize a Palestinian state, calling it "reckless" — French President Emmanuel Macron told CBS News the response was "excessive."

In an interview with France 24 and RFI from New York, French president Emmanuel Macron discussed France’s recognition of a Palestinian state, saying it was “the only way” to isolate Hamas. He also welcomed the Trump administration’s “new perspective” on the war in Ukraine and called for a firm response to Russian “provocations” on NATO’s eastern flank.

Sébastien Lecornu didn’t say who his replacement could be. But appeared to rule himself out of coming back to the job. He said Wednesday that “my mission is finished.”