This is CBSI on the world. I'm John Batchel.

To Judy Dempsey, senior scholar for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Berlin,

to help me understand the critical transition from the Olaf Schultz-led coalition government in the Bundestag

to the Friedrich Merz-led coalition in the Bundestag, a move from the Social

Democrats to the Christian Democrats, suggesting, of course, that there's change coming in

Germany.

I want to begin, however, with Reuters headlines, suggesting that the environment in Europe

is showing signs of improving.

Headline from Reuters. Putin says Russia has weapons shortages despite beefing up production and

the spokesperson, Mr. Peskov, for the Kremlin. Kremlin says sides in Ukraine peace talks

still need to narrow their differences. And we also have that the London-based peace talks that were scheduled for this Saturday will

continue.

But Mr. Rubio of the State Department will not attend.

However, there is this suggestion that something else is moving

uh... the trump envoy steve whitkov who's been

traveling

across eurasia handling

negotiations with iran negotiations with russia negotiations with keef

is now heading to moscow this is a surprise

for peace talks with latimer put himself. All of this adds up to

not much except that there's movement towards what the F.T. characterizes as proposals softening by

Moscow. What does it sound like? It sounds like Mr. Putin is willing to accept that the battle lines

...