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Emmanuel Macron Wins Second Term as President of France; Tony Blinken and Lloyd Austin Visit Ukraine; Man Asks Ukraine To Bomb His Russian-Occupied Mansion; Air Raid Sirens Heard In Lviv. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired April 25, 2022 - 02:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN HOST: Hello. I'm Christiane Amanpour live in Paris where President Emmanuel Macron embarks on a second term as the French leader. After winning a historic election last night, ending up with 59 percent of the vote compared to his ultranationalist far right challenger Marine Le Pen at 41 percent. And that is the closest a far- right candidate has ever come to winning the French presidency.

Mr. Macron is facing a slew of economic challenges including record inflation in France like in so many other parts of the world. In his victory speech, he acknowledged the discontent that did drive voters to the far-right and vowed to make changes in his second term.

Mr. Macron is also facing a very apathetic French public and we're still waiting for the final numbers. But it does look like more than 20 percent of the voters didn't cast ballots this go round. And that would be the highest abstention rate for a French runoff election in the last 20 years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translation): After five years of transformations both happy and difficult and exceptional crises, on this day, April 24th, 2022, a majority of us have chosen to trust me to lead our republic for the next five years. I know that for many of our compatriots who choose the extreme right today, their anger and disagreements which led them to vote for this project must also find a response, and that will be my responsibility and that of those around me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: So, reaching out and trying to heal a very divided nation. And we say he won a historic victory because he is the first president in 20 years to actually win re-election. For her part, Le Pen was quick to acknowledge that Macron actually had won the election. However, it wasn't the gracious concession speech one might expect. She celebrated her own party's much improved showing since the last vote, and she said she's looking forward to June's parliamentary elections.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARINE LE PEN, FRENCH PRESIDENTTIAL CANDIDATE (through translation): I fear tonight that this new mandate will not break with the contemptuous and brutal practices of the previous one and that Emmanuel Macron will do nothing to repair the fractures that divide our country and cause suffering to our compatriots. So yes, to avoid that power grab by a few, more than ever, I will continue my political fight for France and the French with the energy, persevering and affection you know me for one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AMANPOUR: Now, there were some protesters angry about the results last night. They turned out in places like Paris and Lyon and they set off fireworks at police who responded with tear gas.

Now, our other top story, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and they are the highest-level U.S. officials to visit Ukraine since the Russian invasion began. And a press conference that they're holding in neighboring Poland is starting right now, and we're going to go to it.

(LIVE VIDEO)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Our strong support, our strong ongoing support for the Ukrainian government and for the Ukrainian people. This was in our judgment an important moment to be there, an important moment for Ukraine, for the war. And an important moment to have face-to-face conversations in detail about the extraordinary support that we provided, security, economic, humanitarian, as well as the massive pressure we've been exerting on Russia.

And then to talk in detail about how we carry that forward across all of those fronts. I would say that without putting words in his mouth, President Zelenskyy expressed deep appreciation for President Biden's leadership and for the incredible generosity and support of the American people.

In turn, we expressed deep admiration for his leadership for the extraordinary courage of Ukrainians in standing up to and pushing back this Russian aggression. Part of our commitment going forward involves a number of things that I was able to share with President Zelenskyy yesterday, including the return of American diplomats to Ukraine starting next week, including President Biden's attempt to nominate a new ambassador to Ukraine, Ambassador Bridget Brink, probably.

An ambassador, someone I served with for a long time, deeply experienced in the region, will be a very strong representative for United States in Ukraine.

[02:05:05] We had an opportunity as well to talk about where this goes from here. With the success that Ukraine has had, it's also true that Russia continues to try to brutalize parts of the country. And the death and destruction that we continue to see is horrific. But Ukrainians are standing up. They're standing strong, and they're doing that with the support that we have coordinated from literally around the world.

The strategy that we've put in place. Massive support for Ukraine. Massive pressure against Russia. Solidarity with more than 30 countries engaged in these efforts is having real results. And we're seeing that when it comes to Russia's war games, Russia is failing, Ukraine is succeeding.

Russia has sought as its principal aim to totally subjugate Ukraine, to take away its sovereignty, to take away its independence. That has failed. It sought to assert the power of its military and its economy. We of course are seeing just the opposite. A military that is dramatically underperforming, an economy as a result of sanctions, as a result of a mass exodus from Russia that is in shambles.

And it sought to divide the west and NATO. Of course, we're seeing the exactly the opposite. An alliance more divided than I've ever seen it, and indeed, new countries considering applying for membership. The bottom line is this. We don't know how the rest of this war will unfold, but we do know that a sovereign independent Ukraine will be around a lot longer than Vladimir Putin is on the scene. And our support for Ukraine going forward will continue. It will continue until we see final success. Secretary?

LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Good morning. And first of all, let me echo what Secretary Blinken has said in terms of the characterization of our meeting. I think it was a very productive meeting, very engaging session, and we were very happy to have that opportunity.

So, during the meeting, we expressed our deepest condolences to the president for the loss of so many civilians, and of course, the loss of those courageous troops that have done just a magnificent job of pushing back Russian forces. We also expressed our admiration for their professionalism and for their commitment to defend their democracy. Just -- it's been extraordinary to watch and I think everyone would agree with me there.

I agree with Secretary Blinken that the president did express his deep appreciation along with the minister of defense and chief of defense, their deep appreciation for what the American people have continued to do to ensure that we get them as much assistance as possible, as quickly as possible.

So, our focus in the meeting was to talk about those things that would enable us to win the current fight and also build for tomorrow. And again, a very productive discussion. We talked about security force assistance and we talked about training, and we also talked about the key things we're going to discuss in the session that I'll conduct tomorrow at Ramstein with a number of ministers of defense and chiefs of defense. This session is focused on doing things to generate additional

capability and capacity for the Ukrainian forces. And so, it's a great opportunity to get a good update from CHOD, from the minister of defense and from the president on the things they are focused on, the things that they'll need that will enable us to have a more productive discussion with the CHOD and ministers of defense tomorrow.

UNKNOWN: Secretary Austin, Secretary Blinken, I'm just wondering if you could tell us what you saw during your visit to Kyiv, on your journey on the way to Kyiv and what you saw in the city? Were you able to speak to any Ukrainians outside the government and what did they tell you if so?

And then for either of you, do you see a scenario where international support enables Ukraine to avoid losing this war to Russia, but isn't able to fully expel Russian forces or reclaim its victory? And how would you think about such a scenario? Thanks.

BLINKEN: Happy to start. In terms of what we saw, we took a train into Kyiv from southwestern Poland.

[02:10:01]

So, didn't see a lot except looking out the train windows on our way in. And in Kyiv itself, we went right to the presidential palace. We spent about three hours with President Zelenskyy with his senior team. That was the entire focus of our visit. We wanted to focus on the work that needed to be done in looking at the game plan that we have, how we're moving forward across all of these different lines of effort. So that was the entire focus. There wasn't much of an opportunity to talk to average Ukrainians.

We certainly saw people on the streets in Kyiv, evidence of the fact that the battle for Kyiv was won. And there is what looks, you know, from the surface at least, to be a normal life in Kyiv. But that's in stark contrast to what's going on in other parts of Ukraine, in the south and the east, where the Russian brutality is doing horrific things to people every single day.

In terms of wars won and lost, again, I come back to the proposition that in terms of Russia's war aims, Russia has already failed and Ukraine has already succeeded because the principle aim that President Putin brought to this in his own words was to fully subsume Ukraine back into Russia, to take away its sovereignty and independence. And that has not happened, and clearly will not happen.

Where the contours of the war goes from here, how much death and destruction continues, obviously that's of deep concern. We want to do everything we can to help the Ukrainians bring this to an end on the best possible terms as quickly as possible. Much of the work that we're doing is enabling them to strengthen their hand both on the battlefield right now, but also, eventually at a negotiation, if there is one.

AUSTIN: I agree with Secretary Blinken. We were focused on the conduct of the meeting and engaging the senior leadership. So, we didn't get a chance to do any walk abouts or engage civilians or citizens on the street. On the way in, we did -- it did look like things were beginning to come back to normal. It was Easter Day so, in Kyiv, so certainly a number of people would have been at home and not out on the street.

In terms of their ability to win, the first step in winning is believing that you can win. And so, they believe that we can win. We believe that they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support. And we're going to everything we can, continue to do everything we can to ensure that that gets there.

So, we're engaged with the CHOD, engaged with the minister of defense. And as this fight evolves, you know, their needs will change. And so, as those needs change, we'd like to be one step ahead, but we're going to be responsive to what the CHOD and the MOD believe that they need.

UNKNOWN: Secretary Austin, I have a question about aid deliveries. How are you tracking the Stingers and the Javelins and those sensitive weapons? We're seeing more and more imagery of those weapons falling into the hands Russian-backed forces in Donbas. Do you have plan to track those weapons?

And in terms of humanitarian aid, Secretary Blinken, there is an article in "The Boston Globe" today quoting a USAID official saying that the billion dollars in aid passed by Congress has not been even transferred to USAID accounts and that much of the aid that is supposed to be going into Ukraine has not been delivered, calling it a critical strategic failure. How do you plan to fix this problem?

AUSTIN: The first part of the question, Jen (ph), thanks for that question. In terms of our ability to track the weapons that are going in, as you know we don't have any forces on the ground. So that's difficult for us to do. We did have a very good discussion with both the CHOD and the president, minister of defense, on a necessity to make sure that those weapons are tracked.

And as best possible, to make sure that they're protected from falling into the hands of adversaries. Now, when you're in a fight, as you know, if a specific battle is lost, then you have less control over your ability to control items. But they are focused on this issue, and they know we are concerned about it. And we'll continue to engage.

BLINKEN: And Jennifer (ph), in terms of the humanitarian assistance, hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance has already gotten in, not only to Ukraine, but to surrounding countries that are caring for Ukrainians who have been displaced to refugees. Literally every day as we speak, aid is going in.

This is aid. If you're here in a few hours, this won't be here. It's going to be on a plane on its way or some other means, on its way to Ukraine. And then it is dispersed throughout the country. We've had detailed conversations with our Ukrainian partners about making sure that once the assistance gets into Ukraine, it then is dispersed, as the secretary of defense is saying about the weaponry in an effective way.

And if there are bottlenecks there or challenges there, we're working through them.

02:15:01]

But what I'm seeing, at least, is that aid is getting here and other distribution points. It's getting out the door incredibly quickly. Again, this place is going to look different five or six hours from now than it does right now.

UNKNOWN: Well, thank you so much. Secretary Austin, you mentioned, you know, keeping abreast with what the Ukrainians need. We've seen, you know, certainly some 155-millimeter Howitzers and other things being processed through here. What did President Zelenskyy say he needs next?

And for Secretary Blinken, I understand you have spoken with the U.N. Secretary General about his upcoming visit. What is his strategy for engaging - for his engagement or for world engagement with Moscow and with Kyiv to see an end to this thing?

AUSTIN: As you heard us talk or say in the past, recent past, the nature of the fight has evolved because the terrain that they're now focused on is a different type of terrain. So, they need long-range fires. You've heard them express a need for tanks. And we are doing everything that we can to get them the types of support, the types of artillery and munitions that will be effective in this stage of the fight.

And so, we'll get a chance -- we've done a lot. As you know, you've seen what we've done here in recent pasts with a recent $800 million authorization provided by the president, allows us to provide five battalions of 155 howitzers, hundreds of thousands of rounds of artillery, and so we're also engaging our colleagues in other countries for the same type of capability.

And we see indications early on that they're going to -- many countries are going to come forward and provide additional munitions and howitzers. So, we're going to push as hard as we can, as quickly as we can to get them what they need. This will be a great topic of conversation for our meeting tomorrow as we go down to Ramstein.

BLINKEN: And in terms of the secretary general, I spoke to the U.N. Secretary General on Friday and he is heading to Moscow early this week. And our expectation is that he is going to carry a very strong and clear message to Vladimir Putin, which is the need to end this war now. The need for a ceasefire, the need for humanitarian corridors, for aid to get, in for people to be able to get out. The need for Russia to stop its brutalization of Ukraine. It's a clear direct message that he should be carrying on behalf of virtually the entire international community.

UNKNOWN: Are you defining America's goals for success any differently in Ukraine now than you were at the beginning of this war? And if so, what are those goals today?

AUSTIN: I'll just start and I'll let the Secretary of State to give his thoughts, but I think -- and he's already kind of indicated the first piece of this. We want to see Ukraine remain a sovereign country, a democratic country, able to protect its sovereign territory. We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine.

So, it has already lost a lot of military capability and a lot of its troops, quite frankly. And we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability. We want to see the international community more united, especially NATO, and we're seeing that. And that's based upon the hard work of, number one, President Biden. But also, our allies and partners who have willingly leaned into this with us as we've imposed sanctions and as we've moved very rapidly to demonstrate that we're going to defend every inch of NATO.

BLINKEN: Really nothing to add. I think the secretary said it very well.

UNKNOWN: Final question. Matt (ph)?

UNKNOWN: Thanks. Mr. Secretary, were you able to offer President Zelenskyy any idea about the timing of the reopening of the embassy in Kyiv and not simply the return of diplomats to Lviv? And for both of you, President Zelenskyy when he kind of leaked that you guys were going there on Saturday, said please don't come with empty hands. You obviously didn't go with empty hands. But did you get the sense that he is satisfied with what it was that you did bring?

BLINKEN: Matt (ph), in terms of the embassy, we will have American diplomats back in Ukraine starting next week. They'll then start the process of looking at how we actually reopened the embassy itself in Kyiv. I think that will take place over a couple of weeks would be my expectation. We're doing it deliberately. We're doing it carefully. We're doing with the security of our personnel foremost in mind, but we're doing it.

02:19:57]

And with regard to President Zelenskyy, again, without wanting to characterize him too much, I can just repeat what I said earlier. He expressed to both of us deep and repeated appreciation both for President Biden's leadership, but also for the generosity of the American people. I think he said, Lloyd, that the United States has been Ukraine's strongest supporter, something that they won't forget.

And look, we never -- we never come empty handed because this is, as the Secretary of Defense said, this has been an ongoing process where we have been from before day one, because remember, the initial drawdowns that President Biden ordered go back to last Labor Day, months before the aggression.

We wanted to make sure that if Russia pursued the aggression that Ukrainians had in hand the tools they needed to stop it, to push it back, and that's exactly what happened. Thanks to their courage, to their commitment, but also thanks to the equipment that they had in hand from before the war started, they were able to do that.

But as the secretary said, this has been evolving. And so, the nature of our assistance and the assistance we're getting from others has been evolving.

AUSTIN: And as you would expect, he did express gratitude to the American people and our allies and partners for what they've done from the very beginning and continue to do. But he is in a fight. And so, while he is grateful for all the things that we're doing, he is also focused on what he thinks he'll need next in order to be successful.

And again, they have the mind-set that they want to win. We have the mind-set that we want to help them win. And we are going to do that. Now, in terms of specific types of things that we were able to discuss and kind of lay out, you know, we reminded them that Thursday, President Biden signed a drawdown. And on Saturday, Howitzers were showing up from that drawdown package.

That is unimaginable speed and it's due to the hard work of all the men and women who are working day out -- day in and day out to do the kind of things that they're doing. But we're going remain focused on giving him what he needs to be successful in the future, and that's what you would expect. You'd expect for him to say thanks, but, and he is really grateful, but you know, let's focus on what needs to be done.

We'll get a chance to talk some more about that in our meeting with the CHOD tomorrow and I look forward to that meeting.

UNKNOWN: Thanks, everyone.

(END VIDEO)

AMANPOUR: So, you've been listening to and watching a press conference with the U.S. Secretaries of State and Defense after their visit to Kyiv, which was on Sunday in a long meeting with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and his top defense and foreign ministers.

You heard Secretary of State Antony Blinken say that he believes the sovereign and independent Kyiv will be around a lot longer than Russia's Putin is on the scene. The Secretary of Defense said we spoke with the Ukrainian presidency about all that they would need to "win this fight."

This is a very, very important statement because it shows some strategic aim to win this fight, he said, and the Secretary of State added, and to do everything that we can to ensure that we can have a negotiation if there should be one in the future. They both praised Ukraine's magnificent, and that's the word they used, response, resistance and fightback to the Russian invasion of their country.

And they committed their pledge to keep helping and speeding the aid along, which the United States has done. And which also France has done, and which is why the election that happened here last night, the re-election of Emmanuel Macron, a key ally to the United States and European partners and to Ukraine in this fight, why his important election has mattered so much. And we will return after a break with more analysis.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:25:00]

AMANPOUR: Hello, everyone. I'm Christiane Amanpour live in Paris where Emmanuel Macron has won a second term as French president. Now he ended with 59 percent of the vote compared to his ultra-right nationalist challenger Marine Le Pen, who had 41 percent. But that is the closest a far-right candidate has ever come to winning the French presidency.

Joining me here in Paris is Nathalie Loiseau. She is a French member of the European parliament. And we have spoken many times before, not just about democracy project here in France, but as we see the global democracy project that's unfolding in Ukraine. So, let's just ask you from your vantage point of it as an MEP (ph). Reaction in Brussels amongst European leaders, amongst the NATO alliance. How do you think, well, we've seen the beginnings of it, but tell us how you feel about Macron's win?

NATHALIE LOISEAU, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Well, it was a clear victory. There are not so many leaders now who can be reelected with such -- 59 percent. So, there was a sense of cheerful feelings and relief all over Europe, and I would say among democracies because far right is not an option. And I think that the French voters were smart enough to realize that it was not an option.

AMANPOUR: So, what would have happened given the context that we're doing, given we've just heard the press conference from the U.S. Secretaries of Defense and State, you know, again stating clearly their objectives and their support for Ukraine as a sovereign independent nation. What do you think might have been the challenges had Macron failed?

LOISEAU: Well, Marine Le Pen is closely aligned with Putin. So, we all know that now. She has a loan with a Russian bank and she didn't want to deliver weapons to Ukraine for instance. She didn't want to provide financial support to Ukraine so that it would have been a terrible change and that would have made things in Europe very difficult.

AMANPOUR: She also did not support some of the sanctions. So, she supported she said sanctions against oligarchs and Russian financial institutions, but not against, you know, oil and gas, the key sanctions.

[02:30:00]

LOISEAU: Not against all their own gas, not stopping what we call golden visas and golden passports in Europe, which are a way for Russian oligarchs to escape sanctions. So, she was definitely very pro-Putin. She has always said that Crimea was Russian, for instance. And she was very much against Ukraine. So, that would have been a disaster for this reason and for others more domestic as well.

AMANPOUR: So, let's talk a little bit about domestic and just to be clear, she said she was in solidarity with the Ukrainian people just have to say that. However, domestically, Macron has pulled off a remarkable victory. And as you said, by any stretch of the imagination, it is a wide margin of victory. But, you know, still 41 percent decided to vote for the extreme. How does one heal a nation like that? And continue to shore up, you know, democracy, liberal democracy?

LOISEAU: Well, there's still obviously a lot of work to be done, not only in France but in many democracies. We see that divides are here in societies. It comes from a number of things. COVID was created anxiety, war in Europe creates anxiety. And even if the results are good, if unemployment is low, if there was heavy protection for businesses, for workers during the pandemic, people are so worried about the future.

So, we need to invent a new way of doing politics. Reaching out more to people, listening more, having initiatives coming from grassroots. And this could be a big change in France, a very centralized nation, a very vertical way of ruling the country but Macron committed himself to try to reinvent the way we do politics.

AMANPOUR: And he is himself a reinvention of French politics. You know, he burst onto the scene five, six years ago, with his own movement, it's not a real party. He had never held elective office. Do you think he can meet the challenge of this next five-year period?

LOISEAU: Well, he's young, he's energetic, he showed that in times of crisis, he was up to the challenge. And she definitely knows the country. He has no illusion, he knows that some people voted for him, mostly to go against far right. He also knows that there was stronger extension than usual and that we have to convince people that politics change their ordinary life. So, there is a lot of work to be done.

But there is a lot of energy in this city tomorrow -- this morning, yesterday near the Eiffel Tower. And we are fully committed to help him gain a majority in the Parliament. This is the next fight.

AMANPOUR: So, all of this in context of the war in Ukraine. Russia's invasion, its unprovoked war in Ukraine as all the leaders call it. You heard just now the U.S. Secretary of State and Defense. I mean, literally the highest level and the biggest and strongest supporters of Ukraine. Talk very precisely, defense secretary says the meeting that we had with the president in Kyiv, and with his officials was to talk about things that would "enable us to win the current fight, and also build for tomorrow."

Is that a strategic objective that you can get behind? I.E. not just to help Ukraine hang on, but to win the current fight.

LOISEAU: Well, one day there will be a negotiation. But Ukraine has to be in a position to protect its people and its territory. They have been fighting very bravely. I was in Ukraine some days ago. And I was impressed by the results and the objective of the Ukrainian authorities, but we have to increase or support and increased pressure on Russia because Vladimir Putin has to understand that he has everything to lose and nothing to win, pursuing this unnecessary fight, this unnecessary and cruel and brutal war. AMANPOUR: And how does one, you know, you sort of alluded to it, but he has been telling his interlocutors who go to see him. The defeat is not an option for him that he doesn't feel that he's on the back leg that he's regrouping. You know, better than many people that Donbas is a completely different battlefield to the urban cities of Kyiv and elsewhere where he was pushed back. What does again, what does NATO need, your country, the U.S. to do to make Putin understand that he has to negotiate?

LOISEAU: Well, I think that first of all, heavy weaponry is necessary in Ukraine, and a number of countries are providing more heavy weapons and it's now there should be no delay. Everything has to be done now. And the European Union for the first time is well organized, together request, together what countries can provide and so we're going to organize the logistics. So, this is brand new for the E.U. and it's working.

[02:35:05]

LOISEAU: But we also need to increase pressure on Russia, on Putin and we need to decide the complete, comprehensive embargo on oil and gas as soon as possible. And I hope that Germany, our best ally and friend in Europe gets it that this embargo is needed. Not in six months, not at the end of the year. Now.

AMANPOUR: And interestingly, President Macron's first call was to his German counterpart last night. And just to remind, Nathalie Loiseau, MEP. Thank you for joining us. Has talked about the E.U.'s unprecedented lift to help Ukraine. The United States also making an unprecedented lift at great speed to try to help Ukraine where it matters, President Biden congratulate Macron who's his key ally in all of this.

France is our oldest ally and a key partner in addressing global challenges, said Biden, I look forward to our continued close cooperation including on supporting Ukraine, defending democracy and countering climate change. All of that got a shot in the arm with Emmanuel Macron's victory last night. And we'll have much more after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

AMANPOUR: Hello again, everyone. I'm Christiane Amanpour in Paris where Emmanuel Macron will be spending another five years in the Elysee Palace not far from where we are. And congratulations on his victory. Have been rolling in ever since the result was clear from around the world. Particularly his European and U.S. allies. On Twitter, the U.S. president, Joe Biden called France, America's oldest ally and a key partner.

He also said he looked forward to working together to support Ukraine to defend democracy and to counter climate change.

[02:40:07]

AMANPOUR: The German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has tweeted that French voters had sent a strong commitment to Europe. And that he was happy to continue our good cooperation. Mr. Scholz and Mr. Macron spoke by phone on Sunday night after the election results. And in his congratulatory tweet, the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also referenced his nation's alliance with France and the future of cooperation.

Joining me now is Clement Beaune. He is the French Secretary of State for European Affairs, and he has been a member of Macron's campaign team. Thank you for being with us. So, first and foremost, the world is congratulating your president for the victory, how did you pull it off? Everybody was so worried at least his allies that it was very close.

CLEMENT BEAUNE, FRENCH SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS: Yes. I think it's an important victory. It's the first time a president gets reelection in our five-year mandate systems that is in place for 20 years now. The only times that there was a re-election where after what we call (INAUDIBLE) is a prime minister different from the president in terms of political sensitivity and party. So, it's important.

AMANPOUR: Yes.

BEAUNE: But of course, it's a victory against Marine Le Pen against the far-right opponent. So, we have to take this into account, the country is somehow divided. And we can see that in some regions and some territories, there is a very strong loop and vote in particular. So, now we have to work on this. And to be very satisfied, I think about this victory with a strong choice, but also to work to gather all the French people.

AMANPOUR: Do you think he said enough to that end in his speech last night? Many are praising it for his reach out to those very voters. And he even had to calm his supporters last night because he said, I want to address the Marine Le Pen supporters, who I know many of them didn't support me, but wanted to stop her. What does he need to do to actually make those words into deeds and actually try to heal this country?

BEAUNE: Well, not only Marine Le Pen voters actually but also people who may have voted for Emmanuel Macron who were not fully supporting his platform, it happens in our second round system. So now we have to work on this for the parliamentary elections but also to start with probably a new government in the coming days to do concrete stuff on purchasing power.

AMANPOUR: That's the cost of living.

(CROSSTALK)

AMANPOUR: Which Marine Le Pen successfully used to get such a high vote. Because let's not forget, she did win a very large portion for a far-right -- first time a far-right candidate has ever got that close.

BEAUNE: I think Emmanuel Macron especially in the debate that they had the two of them last week that she was not so strong about this cost of living issues because the measures she was proposing were not so credible, were not fully financed, were not very clear. But anyway, it's part of this vote for sometimes a lot of protests, sometimes it's because that's to support Le Pen. So now we have to take this into account.

The French people have also saved through these votes, some for Emmanuel Macron, a lot for Marine Le Pen too. That's -- they were worries about how it works in rural areas, how our public services are functioning or reaching out how the cost of living is increasing with energy prices. In particular, it's not only a French issue, of course, it's also related to the war. But we have to do something stronger, there will be measures for the retirement people for civil servants and for people who use their car, for instance, in the coming weeks.

(CROSSTALK)

AMANPOUR: Petrol break in terms of the --

(CROSSTALK)

BEAUNE: -- it is already in place but we will redesign it in the coming weeks. And there are some elements, some wages or some pensions of retirement which will be increased at the beginning of the summer.

Now, Marine Le Pen was very fierce in her so called concession speech. She didn't actually congratulate the president's victory. And she actually said the opposite that it was almost like a not a false victory, but that he had not addressed any of the issues that she was going to come back fighting strong, that she would rally a strong far- right opposition in Parliament. With this war and as you mentioned, you know, the rising inflation plus the pain from the sanctions, do you believe Macron can keep people on side to keep supporting the sanctions, for instance, against Russia?

BEAUNE: Of course, we will have to work on that. But President Macron already in the last month has been very clear about this. It's a difficult situation. It's not possible to have a war to react very firmly and we will have to go in this direction against Russia, and to say to the French people and to any of our country's people that there is no impact on their daily lives. In the cost of living, for instance, what we have to do is to increase the sanctions because the war is still going on.

We cannot abandon or withdraw from this. And we have to protect the poorest people in particular against this increased food prices, energy prices. So, we have to be very transparent and very clear. We will protect them. But it's not true that you can have an easy situation In which you would put pressure against Russia and have no impact on your --

(CROSSTALK)

AMANPOUR: Does he have to explain that more two people going forward?

[02:45:04] BEAUNE: I think we did it. And President Macron did it -- has done it very clearly from day one on the Russian invasion on T.V. to the French people again and again. In the campaign, he was very clear when Marine Le Pen's party said, for instance, we should not do the ban on the oil or maybe tomorrow gas, because it will have an impact on the French people lives, it will have an impact, we will manage it, we will try to mitigate it. But we cannot say that the war has no price.

AMANPOUR: You're a young person in a young president's cabinet in his -- in his government, many young people did actually vote for Marine Le Pen. And so that's also a challenge for you. But you also face a country in which there was a massive abstention, the highest in the last 20 years. And as we said, the extremes, the majority of people in the first round, nearly 60 percent went for the extreme left in the extreme right. That's an issue, right? Politics and democracy.

BEAUNE: That's an issue. I think, unfortunately, if I may say so, it's a European wide issue, western wide issue. We can see this sometimes election of democratic fatigue after COVID, in particular, but it's probably a more long-term issue. Doesn't mean we have no responsibility, doesn't mean we have no impact on this. I think if you improve the economic situation, as we have started to do, if we go on transforming and reforming the country, if we are clear about our European commitments, young people for instance, in (INAUDIBLE) and the greening of our societies, greening our economy is a green transition.

In France, it's clear that we cannot do it alone, without the E.U. acting there. Common rules to reduce gas emissions and so on. This is a very positive project I think. Of course, we have to organize the impact here again, on the poorest people's lives when you have a car, when you need your car to work or to just go to see your family around in your small village. It means that we have to find solutions to help people getting an electric car and so on.

So, it's a whole transformation also of our economy and society. We are living in for digitals, with the greening of our societies. And this is difficult. We know it in every country. I think you saw it in the U.S. too, in a lot of European countries. But what we have demonstrated across the last five years even in difficult moments COVID, the yellow vests movement is that we could create a lot of jobs, we could transform our society already. And I think it also explains because we have to see the results.

AMANPOUR: Why he won.

BEAUNE: Why -- even Marcon won with the strong results.

AMANPOUR: Yes. Strong results. Clement Beaune, President Macron's Minister for Europe. Thank you so much for joining us. And we will have much more of course. All the news ahead after a break.

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[02:50:47] ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Isa Soares coming to you live from Lviv, Ukraine. In the last few minutes we've heard some air raid siren sounding out right here in Lviv, Ukraine. The second set of sirens in the last hour or so. This of course is the regional military governor tells CNN that air defenses have been activated. Of course we'll keep on top of this any developments we shall bring them to you.

Meanwhile, the U.S. secretary of state and the defense secretary are back in Poland after a trip to Kyiv. They are of course the highest level U.S. officials to visit Ukraine since the conflict began. Their talks with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well as Ukraine's foreign defense and interior minister stretch about three hours of being told and covered a range of issues.

A short time ago they gave this update on the current state of the war. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: Massive pressure against Russia. Solidarity with more than 30 countries engaged in these efforts is having real results. And we're seeing that when it comes to Russia's war aims, Russia is failing, Ukraine is succeeding.

The bottom line is this. We don't know how the rest of this war will unfold. But we do know that a sovereign independent Ukraine will be around a lot longer than Vladimir Putin is on the scene.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Strong words there from Antony Blinken. Meantime, the Ukrainian military is warning that Russian forces may try to launch a new offensive from the Kherson region in the coming days.

What would you do if your mansion was taken over by an occupying army firing rockets at your country's capital? If you are Andrey Stavnitser, you immediately call the Ukrainian military and give them the coordinates to hit the property. The Ukrainian army attack the occupied mansion with artillery destroying or damaging some of Russian military vehicles on the grounds. unfortunately, Stavnitser still can't access the damage to his house and some rooms were rigged with traps and bombs by Russians.

I am joined now by Andrey Stavnitser who joins me live from Lviv and -- in Poland. Andrey, thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us. Take us back to that very moment that you saw Russians take over your house. Explain that to our viewers.

ANDREY STAVNITSER, FOUNDER, HELP UKRAINE CENTER: Good morning, Isa. Well, basically, I -- on the 5th of March, the Russian military, if they can be called like this, pulled up to the village of village in Vradiivka where my house is. And they started loitering and robbing the houses there. My house was not an exclusion. They came in. And I saw that on a small webcam because they have destroyed most of the security cameras. But there's just one webcam that was there working from time to time. They've been bringing all the robbed stuff, personal belongings from other houses to my home. And from there sending it to Belarus. So, what I saw was Russian soldiers walking around my house and Russian military equipment pulling up to my premises. When -- this is when I basically asked Ukrainian military and told them the coordinates of my house and I told them that I'm OK with the with them bombing my house.

SOARES: And what was going through your mind as you asked the Ukrainian military to bomb your house, Andrey?

STAVNITSER: It was a very good decision to be quite honest. I would -- I would say that it's a very dirty feeling. It's a disgusting feeling when you see somebody walking in your house. So, it was a very fast, immediate decision. I told them that OK okay with this. And this is so much very little that I could do to help them. And I really think Ukrainian military are true heroes and the most the strongest army on the continent right now. So, I -- this was the little thing that I could do.

SOARES: And why do you think the Russians, Andrey, are taking over civilian homes? What purpose does it serve them?

STAVNITSER: They are just completely unprofessional. So, their actions are truly non-military stuff.

[02:55:01]

STAVNITSER: I think they're rapists and looters. So, I don't think there is any specific orders that they have. They're just badly organized and badly trained. And in a -- in a -- in a big sense, you cannot call these guys military. They are -- they are rapists.

SOARES: They're rapists you said. Now, I know you are taking a part in helping those in the country. Civilians, you're delivering humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Tell us about what you're doing and where your supplies and resources are going.

STAVNITSER: Thank you, Isa. I'm just across the border from you in Lublin. And this is where we run our center called www.helpUkraine.center. And we accumulate humanitarian aid from all over the world. And then we send it all the way to the hottest areas of Ukraine next to Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Odessa, et cetera. And we try to make sure it reaches the people in need. So, this is where 20 hours of my -- of my day are dedicated to.

SOARES: Twenty hours well dedicated, I should say, Andrey of your day. Thank you for your work and your bravery. I really appreciated it. Andrey Stavnitser there. And if you'd like to help Andrey with his fundraising efforts, please find his Web site at helpUkraine.center. And that does it for me. Thanks very much for company. I'm Isa Soares coming to you live from Lviv, Ukraine. We'll go back to Christiane Amanpour in Paris in just a moment at CNN breaking news coverage continues. Do stay right here.

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