Rob Schmitz is NPR's international correspondent based in Berlin, where he covers the human stories of a vast region reckoning with its past while it tries to guide the world toward a brighter future. From his base in the heart of Europe, Schmitz has covered Germany's levelheaded management of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of right-wing nationalist politics in Poland and creeping Chinese government influence inside the Czech Republic.
Top U.S. and Ukrainian officials said Sunday that they made progress toward ending the Russia-Ukraine war. But European allies feel they've been left out of the plan, which they say placates Russia.
Munich's famous river wave, the Eisbachwelle, vanished after a dredging in early November. Authorities are working to resurrect the beloved wave but impatient surfers have also tried their own methods.