Kyiv and Moscow agree prisoner swap
Welcome, Europeans. 🇪🇺
Russia and Ukraine have agreed a prisoner exchange after talks in Abu Dhabi. Elsewhere, schools face bomb threats and a Dutch tax deal tests the governing coalition.
Today in Europe:
- 🕊️ Kyiv and Moscow agree a prisoner exchange as US envoys travel to Russia.
- 🏫 Bomb threats reach schools in Italy and the UK.
- 🇳🇱 A Dutch tax deal puts the minority coalition under strain.
- 🏭 Poland turns to state-owned PGZ for its military buildup.
- 📱 Spain opens an inquiry after allegations about child abuse material on TikTok.
🕊️ Ukraine and Russia agree prisoner exchange
Ukraine and Russia agreed a large-scale prisoner exchange as talks ended in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, France 24 reports. Neither side gave a figure for the number of prisoners involved.
The talks made little progress towards a broader peace agreement, according to The Guardian. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Russia on Thursday to meet President Vladimir Putin, Russian news agencies said. They then plan to fly to Ireland to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, France 24 reports.
Why it matters: A prisoner exchange is worth securing; a durable settlement also needs credible security guarantees for Ukraine. European governments will have to live with the consequences of any deal and help provide its security.
Europe needs a seat at the table, not a bill slipped under the door.
🏫 Bomb threats hit schools across Europe
Schools across Italy were evacuated on Wednesday after hoax bomb threats, France 24 reports. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said there was no “concrete danger” and called a meeting with security and intelligence chiefs.
More than 6,000 Italian schools received a threat, according to the BBC. Schools in Scotland and Northern Ireland were also affected, with authorities in all three countries saying there appeared to be no risk to the public. The incidents followed hoax bomb threats targeting airlines and media organisations across Europe, France 24 reports.
Why it matters: Hoaxes can disrupt classrooms and drain emergency services without a bomb ever being planted. Authorities need to share information across borders and investigate the threats without treating every school as an island.
Cheap disruption deserves a coordinated response.
🇳🇱 Dutch tax deal strains coalition
A Dutch tax agreement has put the country’s minority coalition under strain ahead of a debate and vote on Thursday, Politico Europe reports.
Two coalition parties, D66 and the Christian Democratic Appeal, agreed with opposition parties PRO and Volt to shift about €1 billion in tax from wealth to income. The coalition’s third party, VVD, was left out of the deal.
VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz said on Wednesday that the agreement went against the coalition deal and threatened to reconsider cooperation with her partners. PRO had made the tax shift a key demand, Politico reports.
Why it matters: Moving tax from wealth to income is a consequential choice about who pays, not just a parliamentary fix. Voters deserve a clear account of the trade-off and which households will carry it.
Show the bill, not just the coalition arithmetic.
🏭 Poland turns to domestic arms group
Poland wants domestic companies to supply more of its expanding military, with state-owned Polish Armaments Group, or PGZ, at the centre of the buildup, Politico Europe reports. The country’s largest defence company has won billions of złoty in new orders.
PGZ was formed in 2013 from about 50 smaller companies, many with their own management teams and political backers. Its current chief executive, Adam Leszkiewicz, took the post in May 2025 and is its 12th CEO since the group’s founding. Leszkiewicz said PGZ makes more than 700 products.
Why it matters: Defence spending only becomes defence capacity if industry can deliver. Poland’s orders are an opportunity to build production that can also work with partners across Europe, rather than leave companies operating in separate national silos.
More contracts need to mean more usable equipment.
📱 Spain investigates TikTok allegations
Spain’s prosecutor’s office opened a preliminary inquiry on Wednesday after an investigation accused TikTok of allowing child sexual abuse material, Politico Europe reports.
The investigation by civil society group Maldita was published on Monday. Spain’s youth ministry subsequently announced that it would try to block the platform. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez welcomed the prosecutor’s inquiry, saying that no platform was above the law or the rights of children.
The announcement comes ahead of Spain’s national election on 29 November, Politico reports.
Why it matters: Allegations involving child sexual abuse material demand a serious investigation and effective enforcement. A threatened ban is not a substitute for establishing the facts, protecting children and holding platforms to their legal obligations.
Get the evidence, then make the law bite.
📰 In Other News
- 🌍 At COP31, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham called for affordable electric cars and heat pumps, Politico Europe reports.
- 🛰️ SpaceX signed a €60 million solar-cell supply deal with Germany’s Singulus Technologies, Euronews reports.
- 🇺🇸 Democrat Scott Colom won a Mississippi Senate seat by fewer than 5,000 votes, Euronews reports.
- 🇷🇺 Moscow banned two French lawmakers and two journalists from entry, France 24 reports.
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Written with the help of AI from the reporting linked above.