The following is a transcript of an interview with Cindy McCain, U.N. World Food Programme executive director, on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that aired on Dec. 15, 2024.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to the Executive Director of the U.N.’s World Food Programme Cindy McCain. Welcome back to Face the Nation. 

U.N. WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CINDY MCCAIN: Thank you.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Director, you are looking at a globe very much in crisis, but I want to start on the hot spot of Syria. USAID said the World Food Programme was able to reach 70,000 people in Syria over the last week, but you need supply lines to remain open. Is there a threat right now to your deliveries? And if so, where is that coming from?

MCCAIN: Well, our deliveries so far have been very- very smooth, but we need more delivery options open, which is what this was alluding to. More importantly, we have been able to get 70,000 people fed this- this month so far, but we need more. And- and more importantly, we need the funds to do it. That’s where we’re lacking. We had- there’s a lot of people, a lot of hunger at stake, a lot of malnutrition that was already pre-existing, that now- that now we need to handle as well. You know, WFP never left Syria. We’ve always been in there, but now we need more routes, more ability to get in and to get, not just more trucks, but more people in, so that we can help in the best way we can.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So you need Turkey to open up supply lines or surrounding countries? Is that right?

MCCAIN: Yes, correct. We need everybody around us, Turkey, all the countries surrounding us, to make sure that we can get in and get in smoothly, again, unfettered and, of course, in a safe manner. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: So you have said you’re trying to scale up to reach nearly 3 million people who need some help right now. The U.S. still has some sanctions on Syria, but they do let in U.N. humanitarian aid. There was a call in Congress, a bipartisan one this week, for the United States to lift some sanctions. Are you experiencing U.S. sanctions getting in your way at this point?

MCCAIN: Not really. We’ve- we’ve been able to, as- as you said, we’ve been able to move our goods, through, our food items, etc, through and get it to where it needs to go in a safe and quick manner as well. But- but I don’t- I will never understate- underestimate the process with things that it could infringe us later on. So I’m hoping that things stay calm, that we can move our goods again in a safe and secure manner and do it at full scale. If we can’t work at scale, we can’t feed. And that’s the most important part that we need too, we need access, and we need the ability to feed.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And you said you’re short on funds. How much do you need?

MCCAIN: Oh, worldwide, I could use 17 billion right now, if you want to know the truth. There’s so much, there’s so many- many countries that have absolutely no access to any fundings. No one’s paying any attention to it. Syria being one of them. And we need- we need, obviously, a great deal of funds in- in particular within Syria, but in other countries too. You’re talking about Sudan, we’re talking about Yemen, we’re talking about Ethiopia and other places where- where people are desperate right now.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So why did you say funding is down? People are just not paying attention? 

MCCAIN: Yeah. Yeah. Countries are- are rerouting their funding in different ways. They’re choosing- choosing to fund things in different manners or not to fund at all. We- you know, we- I always send out the oral plea to be able to- to encourage people and encourage countries to be- to get involved and to stay involved. And I’m asking now, I’m asking on your show, worldwide, to please consider, once again, giving to Syria, because people in Syria will starve to death without it, and- and we’ve seen the evidence of great hunger there.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You know, you and I have spoken in the past on this program about the U.S. contributing so generously to the U.N., the largest funder, arguably the most important partner to the United Nations, and you had encouraged Beijing to really kind of step up their game, and you had said there was somewhat of a lack of willingness to be a part of working together as a team worldwide. Have you seen any change to that?

MCCAIN: Not much. I encourage all countries to get involved, including China. We need help from everybody. The world is on fire right now, and hunger- hunger is at the forefront of all of this. And most importantly, you know, when people are hungry, this becomes a national security issue. And so it affects not only the countries that it’s affecting, but it affects us worldwide, and it does affect national security. So it’s important that every country worldwide get involved and be involved in this.

MARGARET BRENNAN: The U.S., as- as we just said, the most generous here, the president-elect has selected a rising star in the Republican Party, Elise Stefanik, to be the representative at the United Nations, and also a cabinet member. That indicates an important voice at the table. Congressman Stefanik- Congresswoman Stefanik called for a complete reassessment of U.S. funding for the United Nations. Are you concerned that you will see a negative impact on funding?

MCCAIN: Well, I’m not concerned, because when I came into this job, I knew that funding was not going to be at the level that it had been. So we’ve gone through a complete- complete reboot on not only scaling down our operations and making sure that we’re more efficient, more effective, and- and making sure that our people in- we push everything to this- to the- to the field now, so that our people in the field can get the job done. We- this was something I came in knowing I was going to have to do, is scale down, make sure that- that we work better, more efficiently, more effectively, and make sure that we get food to the people that need it the most in a quick and safe manner.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So I want to ask you about Sudan. I know you were recently there. It’s in the midst of a brutal civil war. The U.S. has accused both sides of ethnic cleansing. Can you keep trucks going into Sudan to feed people there?

MCCAIN: Oh, it’s such a complicated situation. We- right now, we have 30 some convoys on the road going into Sudan to hit the various places that we need to get to, but we need more. Certainly, Darfur has been a big issue, but we have other parts of the country that are just as needy and where- where famine does exist, as you know, it’s been declared there. And we need- we need also to be able to come through Khartoum and make sure that we can- can access from that direction as well. It’s been a slow process, but we have been able to get in, but we need more. People are starving to death, and once again, it’s- it’s- I sound like a broken record, but we need to be able to get in in a safe and unfettered- unfettered manner, so that we can get the job done. Again, food security is national security. Don’t ever forget that because if people are insecure from a food- from- from a food reality, they’re not going to behave well, and things- they start to migrate. Wars begin that way. Conflict is a part of all of this. The countries that are affected right now, and the big ones that we- that we look to, are all affected because of conflict. It’s- the food security issue is- is very directly caused by conflict within the arena that they’re in. So it’s very important that we pay attention to that particular issue as well.

MARGARET BRENNAN Given the- the scale of the famine and the malnutrition in Sudan, is it food that you’re trying to bring in, or is it more, you know, specialized medical assistance? How do you deal with the children, for example, who are being so hurt in Sudan?

MCCAIN: Well, yes, part of that is making sure that- that our folks from UNICEF, our folks from W.H.O. can get in because there are specialized and- specialized products that are needed for, especially the infants, that are so severely- severely malnourished. And it’s our job to help not just get our stuff in, but get their stuff in as well, in any way that we can. We’re a team player in all this, and we make sure that we- we access and talk to all of our partners within the field so that we can work together. Yes. I mean, these are these- these people, and these children especially, have been so deprived of nourishment for so long that they need highly-specialized items to be able- to be able to beat malnutrition and at least have some chance at life.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I’d be remiss to not ask you about what’s going on in Gaza. Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s National Security Adviser, said this week the U.S. has stood up to Prime Minister Netanyahu to say, let’s make sure that Israel is not responsible for the third famine of the 21st century. Are we at famine in Gaza?

MCCAIN: We’re very close to it. We’ve seen the effects of it. We’ve seen what’s- what’s going on. Listen- this- we’re in the month of November. WFP has been able to get two trucks in. That’s all. Two trucks in the month of November. And, you know- and of course, now we’re into December. But so- the- the- the inability for us to not only to- to move our trucks and get it to where it needs to go, but the insecurity that’s caused from it, the- the- the targeting of- of humanitarian aid workers and making sure that we can’t move or that- or that they feel insecure. This whole- this whole issue of not being able to get in, is- is unseemly. We need unfettered access. We need a cease-fire, and we need it now. We can’t- there’s- we can no longer sit by and just allow these people to starve to death. We need help, and we need to make sure that we put political pressure on those that need to have political pressure put on them. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ve seen images of- of crowds just crushing people, amassing at bakeries in Gaza. 90% of the population cannot return to their homes. They’re displaced. Only four bakeries are operational for nearly 2 million people. This is man-made.

MCCAIN: It is man-made, you’re- you’re absolutely right. It is man-made and and- and more importantly, the world needs to take a hard look at this and realize that not just- not just do they need food, but we need access. And the targeting of humanitarian aid workers is unconscionable. We need to get in and do our job, and- and more importantly, in all of this, make sure that we can feed. Children, especially, are starving to death. I mean, the height of malnutrition, the height of- of hunger within- within that region, is- is unbelievably horrible, and so we’ve seen it firsthand. And I- I, as the leader of the largest humanitarian aid agency in the world, are- I’m calling for a cease-fire, and I want my aid, my fellow partners within this arena, to call for the same thing. We need a cease-fire. We need access, and we need it now– 

MARGARET BRENNAN: You used the word– 

MCCAIN:  — Again, remember, food security is national security, and that’s what’s happening.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Understood. You used the word targeted. Who’s targeting your workers?

MCCAIN: Well, there’s lots of things that are going on there. There’s gangs that are running, if we’re speaking directly about Gaza, it’s gangs that’s running around. It’s the- the lawlessness. There is absolutely no- no law- law to be held, you know, to be even talked about there, because it doesn’t exist. And so we need all of those kinds of things to be put into place so that we can work in a safe manner and get- get the food to where it’s go- where it needs to go. Again, we’ve gotten two trucks in. That’s all. Two trucks.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Director McCain, I know you have a lot of needs. You’re looking for 17 billion is the number you are asking for. We wish you good luck feeding the world. 

MCCAIN: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ll be right back.

Cindy McCain, the executive director of the World Food Programme, said “hunger is at the forefront” of global conflicts worldwide, making it a “national security issue” that requires the help of all countries involved.

“We need help from everybody. The world is on fire right now,” McCain said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” adding that “hunger is at the forefront of all of this.” 

McCain outlined that with food insecurity, people don’t “behave well, and things — they start to migrate.”

“Wars begin that way,” she said. “Conflict is a part of all of this.”

Among the areas where the World Food Programme is at work is Syria, which has been thrown into a period of uncertainty after the fall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad last week. McCain said the organization’s deliveries to the area have been “very smooth” so far — with 70,000 people fed this month — while noting that they need more delivery options open, and more funds.  

McCain said the World Food Programme has been able to move goods and food items to where they need to go “in a safe and quick manner” in Syria, noting that she’s hoping that things will “stay calm” so they can continue their work at full scale. But she said the organization is seeing “evidence of great hunger” in the country, while noting that without funding, people will “starve to death.”

McCain said the effort could use $17 billion worldwide, saying there are “so many countries that have absolutely no access to any fundings.”

“No one’s paying any attention to it,” she added. 

McCain outlined the “complicated situation” in Sudan, with a slow process to access parts of the country, including places where famine has been declared. And in Gaza, she said conditions are “very close” to famine, noting that only two of the World Food Programme’s trucks were able to get through to the area in November. 

Amid the access issues, McCain said “we need a ceasefire and we need it now,” adding that as the leader of the largest humanitarian aid agency in the world, she’s calling for a suspension of the hostilities in Gaza and urging her partners in the aid sphere to do the same. 

“We can no longer sit by and just allow these people to starve to death,” McCain said. “We need help, and we need to make sure that we put political pressure on those that need to have political pressure put on them.”

The following is a transcript of an interview with Oksana Markarova, Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S., on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that aired on Dec. 15, 2024.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And we’re joined now by the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova. Good to have you back with us. 

UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S. OKSANA MARKAROVA: Thank you for having me and blessed Sunday to all.

MARGARET BRENNAN: No Western Power, as you know, is sending troops to Ukraine to help Ukrainian forces, but Russia’s got North Korean troops now who are fighting on their side. Yesterday, President Zelensky said Russia has been using a significant number of North Koreans. How are they fighting?

AMB. MARKAROVA: Yes, so and we are not asking for other troops. Ukrainians are still capable of defending our own country. We’re asking for the military support. Yesterday, we have seen those tens of thousands of troops that we were warning the word about. We have seen hundreds of them on the battlefield already, and we are successfully fighting with them as we are fighting with the Russians. I mean, look we we see them now in Kursk Oblast only, and our brave defenders were not only able to kill a lot of them, but also keep the positions. So it’s difficult, of course, to see the reinforcement from this axis of evil, but it will not change anything for us. We will continue defending the very long line, whether it’s in southern eastern Ukraine or whether it’s our defensive operation in Kursk. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: And in the meantime, the North Korean troops are getting trained in Modern Warfare, and they’re learning in Ukraine- I mean, right there.

AMB. MARKAROVA: Absolutely. And we also have to worry about what is it that Russia is promising or even delivering to North Korea in exchange for this and Korean missiles. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: But I also raised the manpower issue because it’s a problem for Ukraine as well. Military Recruitment is tough right now in Ukraine. There has been pressure on your government by the United States to lower the draft age so that you can boost the number of fighters. This is arguably a bigger issue than the weaponry itself. Is it affecting the ability of Ukraine to keep up this fight? 

AMB. MARKAROVA: I wouldn’t agree that it’s a bigger issue than the equipment itself. We still have, first of all, we have a number of young people fighting for Ukraine, and they are volunteering, and women are volunteering. Ukraine is one of the countries that lifted all restrictions for women, for example, and we have 60,000 of women in the armed forces. With the recruitment, the last changes to the law on mobilization already allowed us to create new brigades, which we are training now. And the problem is to have enough equipment to train them on, so that we can actually not send to the battlefield like Russians do, right, unprepared, whether it’s North Korean to unprepared Russians, but to send soldiers who can do and deliver on a mission. And it’s very important for us, because every person matters for Ukrainians. Of course there are challenges, and we have the plan and we know how to do it, because again, this is our home we are defending. So when it’s necessary, all of us are going to be defending our country, but weapons and having more weapons, especially long range, especially something to counter this 3000 Glide bombs every month that Russians are sending against us. 

There’s missiles for both Russian and North Korean missiles. I mean, it’s still a question of artillery and weapons and air defense, most importantly, and the more we can have, the faster we can- the more efficiently we can defend. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, the Biden administration has been releasing more weapons just in the last week alone. But Donald Trump gave an interview to Time Magazine, and he said the United States is escalating by allowing for weapons- missiles to be shot into Russian territory. He specifically focused in on that. He does not like that Ukraine is doing it. What does that mean for you on day one of the Trump administration? 

AMB. MARKAROVA: Well, let me say, start by saying thank you to all American people, really, for standing with us all this time. Let me thank President Biden and his administration for all the support. Let me thank President Trump. He is the one who made a historic decision to provide us with Javelins, actually, to provide us with lethal aid in the first place–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –back in 2017.

AMB. MARKAROVA: Yes. So right now, we have to do everything in order to stop Russia. And we know it’s- it could be stopped. It was recently stopped in Syria. We liberated more than 50% that they have taken. We actually kicked them out from the Black Sea, just with our own naval drone capabilities. They could, they- we can stop them the more equipment we have, especially including the longer range equipment in order to be able to degrade the attack capabilities faster, the faster they will either come to the table, because, again, Ukraine wants peace. Nobody wants peace more than us. Ukraine was never a problem. We never initiated this conflict, and we negotiated at the first sign- remember, in 2022 when Russians started negotiations, they, of course, did not negotiate peace. They negotiated the pause. As we just heard Congressman Waltz, who absolutely rightfully said, it has to be peace, not a pause.

MARGARET BRENNAN: He was careful. He didn’t give a lot of specifics as to what the Trump policy will be but we do know that Viktor Orban was at Mar-a-Lago this past week, and he talks to Vladimir Putin, and he’s talking about a Christmas pause. Do you see a chance for a Christmas ceasefire and prisoner exchange? 

AMB. MARKAROVA: This is very difficult winter, after Russia destroyed our- a lot of our energy infrastructure. And after you know, we are going through this difficult fights, both on the front line, but also civilians suffering from the deadly missile attacks–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –Just this past week. 

AMB. MARKAROVA: Yes, at the same time, you know, every time Russia is talking about some ceasefire, they are lying. Russians are lying, and we see they were not able to defend their body- terrorist body Assad, and he fled to Russia. And we see horrible atrocities in Sednaya Prison, like we see in Ukraine everywhere. It reminded me isolation prison in Donetsk–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.

AMB. MARKAROVA: Which still is operational. So look, you know, if Russia wants seriously to stop it, they can stop it anytime. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: Ambassador, I have to leave it there. Thank you so much for joining us. 

AMB. MARKAROVA: Thank you. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ll be back in a moment.