00:00Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder held a surprise one-on-one meeting with Russian
00:05President Vladimir Putin on Friday, as announced by the Kremlin, in what is a perceived blow to
00:11Europe. The Kremlin described the discussion between the pair as friendly, adding that the
00:16meeting took place in Moscow. It's not clear what Putin and Schroeder discussed, but the war in
00:21Ukraine was likely to top their agenda. Schroeder served as German Chancellor from 1998 to 2005
00:28when his Social Democratic Party was voted out by incoming Angela Merkel. He has subsequently
00:34worked for Russian state companies, where he has cultivated a close relationship with Putin,
00:39one he often describes as a friendship. Putin has even named the former German leader as the only
00:45suitable European mediator to engage in talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, a proposition the
00:51EU firmly rejected. The meeting comes just days after Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy requested
00:57in an open letter a meeting with Putin to explore ways to end the invasion of his country. Putin
01:03snubbed the letter, calling it rude, and stressed that there was no reason to meet, a move Kyiv
01:08described as evidence of Russia's unwillingness to end the war. Meanwhile, Russian attacks are
01:14continuing to pummel Ukrainian cities, while Kyiv also continues to carry out its own counter-offensive
01:20targeting Russian energy sites and ports.
01:25Polling stations have opened in Kosovo for a snap parliamentary election, the country's third
01:30in just over a year. The vote comes amid mounting frustration over a prolonged political deadlock
01:36after lawmakers failed to agree on a new president earlier this year. The crisis dates back to February
01:422025, when an inconclusive election triggered more than a year of political stalemate, repeated failed
01:47votes, and successive snap polls. Prime Minister Albin Corti's Veteven Doshye party won previous
01:53elections but has struggled to secure enough support to stabilize governing institutions.
01:58Experts warn the latest ballot is unlikely to break the impasse, with deep divisions between
02:02parties still unresolved. Many voters say they feel disillusioned, expecting little change despite
02:07returning to the polls once again. The ongoing crisis is also weighing on daily life, with
02:12rising living costs hitting one of Europe's poorest economies. And the instability is being
02:17closely watched in Brussels, where Kosovo's repeated political deadlocks are seen as another setback
02:22for its EU accession ambitions and broader Western Balkan stability. Kosovo remains a potential candidate
02:28for EU membership, but internal paralysis risks slowing already stalled enlargement momentum in the region.
02:38Pope Leo XIV called on Spain to quote, stop fanning the flames of polarization in an address in Madrid
02:45as he began his week-long and first papal visit to the country in 15 years. In his first address,
02:52Leo thanked Spain for its commitment to peace and adherence to international law after the Iberian
02:57nation became one of Europe's loudest voices disapproving of the US-Israeli war in Iran and previously
03:03calling out Israeli aggression in Gaza. The US-born pope was received at the royal palace in Madrid by
03:10King Philippe VI and Queen Letizia. He later visited Catholic charities and led a prayer vigil near Real
03:17Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium, filled with hundreds of thousands of mostly young people. On Sunday,
03:24the pontiff is set to lead a major mass in the capital center and then deliver an unprecedented address
03:30of parliament before traveling elsewhere around Spain. Leo is expected to make a pit stop in Barcelona,
03:37where he'll bless the new tower of the Sagrada Familia Basilica. He will then travel to the Canary
03:42Islands on Thursday for a two-day visit, where he'll be joined by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to honor
03:48the thousands of migrants who have died making their way over to Europe.
03:55U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said NATO allies need to cast off the NATO of the post-Cold
04:01War and focus on its core war fighting mission while meeting with French Armed Forces Minister Catherine
04:06Vautran. Hegseth arrived in France to commemorate the 82nd anniversary of D-Day, where he again stressed
04:11that the U.S. needs strong allies who increase their defense spending and are ready to invest more in
04:16combat credible forces. We face a strategic environment that we must be prepared for the
04:21possible possibility of simultaneous challenges and multiple theaters. And given those realities,
04:26Europe must take the lead of its own conventional defense. We believe that is a strategic necessity.
04:33France can help build a NATO that is more balanced, more resilient, and more credible.
04:39Hegseth also outlined the U.S. vision of a new alliance, which he described as NATO 3.0,
04:44adding that the transition is already underway.
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