Biden & Putin will continue Ukraine talks; Germany’s new chancellor

Carl Bildt, former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Sweden, shares his perspective from Europe:

What came out of the video conference between Presidents Biden and Putin?

Well, that's a very good question. We don't know, but they agreed to continue talking about the issues that Mr. Putin backed up by the threat of an invasion of Ukraine has put on the table. There is somewhat of a disquiet in Europe over that, but Biden has said that there's not going to be any talks about Ukraine without Ukraine at the table. This is a story that will continue for quite some time.

Is Germany's new chancellor Olaf Scholz going to fill the power vacuum in Europe?

I'm not quite sure there's a power vacuum, but clearly we have a new government in place here in Berlin and they are busy traveling now to Paris, to Brussels, to Warsaw to reconnect to allies and friends. Olaf Scholz will make his first appearance in a wider stage at the European Summit next week. I think there's going to be a lot of continuity in German politics and a lot of attention in Europe now shifts to the French presidential election in April of next year. First round, that might be a somewhat more dramatic affair.