Germany expects Ukraine to ‘vigorously pursue the fight against corruption’, says Merz – Europe live

12.55pm GMT Putin opponents criticise EU ban on multi-entry visas for Russians in Warsaw Russian opposition figures have reacted with anger and dismay to a decision by the European Union to introduce a ban on multi-entry visas to the Schengen zone for Russian citizens, announced in recent days. “Starting a war and expecting to move freely in Europe is hard to justify,” said the EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, when announcing the decision last Friday. She added that the tightened rules were a response to Russian drone incursions into European airspace and sabotage attacks linked to Russia. Many in the Russian opposition, however, said the move would be counterproductive. “You can’t blame a whole country for the actions of its government,” said Ilya Yashin, a Russian opposition politician who was jailed in late 2022 for opposing the war in Ukraine, in a telephone interview. Yashin was freed in a prisoner exchange last year and now lives in Germany. Yashin said the visa decision was part of a trend of targeting ordinary Russians in the west with restrictions, while members of Putin’s elite would “always find loopholes if they need to”. Schengen visas were already hard to obtain for Russians, and some EU countries such as Poland and Finland have banned entry to all Russian nationals who do not hold residence permits. Additionally, many Russian exiles have found their European bank accounts closed or frozen in recent months. “There are many anti-war Russians and people who want to see changes in Russia. It would be more sensible to be allies with these people and combine forces with them to make a joint front against Putin,” said Yashin. The exiled Russian journalist Sergey Parkhomenko agreed, describing the visa decision as “extraordinary in its idiocy, ineffectiveness and demonstrative helplessness”, and saying it was a sign of a European elite who wanted to show they were doing something, but did not know what to do. The rules are already in force, and while individual countries in the Schengen free movement zone have leeway to interpret the rules, a source in Moscow said even Hungary, the friendliest country towards Russia in the zone, had this week stopped issuing any multi-entry visas. A foreign ministry spokesperson in Italy, favoured holiday destination for wealthy Russians, said Rome would also abide by the EU policy. “Member states do retain the right to exceptionally issue multi-entry visas in justified cases, provided the applicants demonstrate particular integrity and reliability,” said the spokesperson. The EU has said there may be some limited exceptions to the rule for those with close relatives living in exile, human rights activists or independent journalists, but opposition figures have dismissed this as unhelpful, as it means Russian authorities would automatically know to class anyone with a multi-entry Schengen visa as an enemy of the Putin regime. Related: Putin opponents criticise EU ban on multi-entry visas for Russians 12.38pm GMT Rutte says Nato presence in Europe 'demonstrates out resolve' to defend alliance territory Visiting a Nato base in the Netherlands, the alliance’s secretary general Mark Rutte thanked Nato soldiers for “making sure that Nato’s posture in this region remains strong and credible, no matter the threat or provocation.” “Nato has responded quickly and decisively to Russia’s airspace violations, and every day, our strong presence on the ground demonstrates our resolve,” he said on a visit to the Allied Joint Force Command in Brunssum, the Netherlands, He added that military presence sends “a strong signal to any adversary that Nato takes its mission to protect each and every ally very seriously” and is determined to “make sure that every inch of allied territory is safe.” “No adversary can have any doubt about that,” he said. 12.07pm GMT Ukrainian investigation shows anti-corruption bodies 'in place and functioning' The European Commission has insisted that the Ukrainian corruption probe into former government ministers has proven that the anti-corruption institutions in the country “work,” stressing that continous efforts to fight corruption are a key requirement in the EU accession process. Speaking at the midday press conference, EU chief spokesperson Paula Pinho said: “I think it’s really important to underline that [these] investigations which are taking place in Ukraine show that the anti corruption [measures] work, and institutions are there to precisely fight against it. And this is obviously an area to which we pay particular attention – also, in the context of the accession process.” EU enlargement spokesperson Guillaume Mercier earlier said: “This investigation shows that anti-corruption bodies are in place and functioning in Ukraine. The fight against corruption has been central to our enlargement package, which provides a general position on the matter. Let me stress that the fight against corruption is key for a country to join the EU, it requires continuous efforts to guarantee a strong capacity to combat corruption and the respect for the rule of law.” 11.59am GMT EU investigates Google over ‘demotion’ of commercial content from news media The EU has launched an investigation into Google Search over concerns the US tech company has been “demoting” commercial content from news media sites. The bloc’s executive arm announced the move after monitoring found certain content created with advertisers and sponsors was being given such a low priority by Google that it was in effect no longer visible in search results. European Commission officials said this potentially unfair “loss of visibility and of revenue” to media owners could be a result of an anti-spam policy Google operates. Under the rules of the Digital Market Act (DMA), which governs competition in the tech sectors, Google must apply “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory conditions of access to publishers websites on Google Search”. Commission officials said the investigation was not into the overall indexing of newspapers or their reporting on Google Search, just into commercial content provided by a third parties. Media partnerships with businesses selling goods or services ranging from holidays to trainers were “normal commercial practice in the offline world” and they should also exist in a fair online marketplace such as Google, officials said. For example a newspaper may have teamed up with Nike to offer discounts, but there was evidence that under a Google search, that sub-domain of the newspaper would be “demoted to a point that users will not be able to find it any more”. That in turn affects the newspaper. “We are concerned that Google’s policies do not allow news publishers to be treated in a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory manner in its search results,” said Teresa Ribera, the executive vice-president for clean, just and competitive transition policies at the European Commission. Related: EU investigates Google over ‘demotion’ of commercial content from news media 11.21am GMT EU 'must stop sending money of European citizens to Ukraine,' Hungarian leaders say Most senior Hungarian leaders were quick to jump on the latest corruption allegations in Ukraine, arguing that the EU should stop supporting the country. Hungary has long been an ardent critic of the bloc’s support for Ukraine, repeatedly calling for urgent re-engagement with Moscow to end the war, seeking to delay further sanctions on Russia, and engaging with Russian counterparts outside EU formats. In a sign of growing tensions, the country’s prime minister Viktor Orbán said in a highly-confrontational post this morning that “the golden illusion of Ukraine is falling apart” after “a wartime mafia network with countless ties to President @ZelenskyyUa has been exposed.” He said: “The energy minister has already resigned, and the main suspect has fled the country. This is the chaos into which the Brusselian elite want to pour European taxpayers’ money, where whatever isn’t shot off on the frontlines ends up in the pockets of the war mafia. Madness. Thank you, but we want no part of this.” He said “we will not send the Hungarian people’s money to Ukraine,” and threatened to block further aid for Ukraine. “After all this, we certainly won’t give in to the Ukrainian president’s financial demands and blackmail. It’s high time Brussels finally understood where their money is really going,” he said. Separately, Hungary's foreign minister Péter Szijjártó also struck a similar tone. In a post on X, Szijjártó – who regularly visits Russia – said: “For years now, the functioning of the Ukrainian state has been financed with the money of European citizens. Meanwhile, corruption is out of control in Ukraine, so it’s no surprise that no one has ever seen a clear accounting of how the EU funds were actually spent. And what does Brussels want to do now? Send even more money to Ukraine, to @ZelenskyyUa, whose closest circle has just been exposed as running a major corruption network. It’s time to put an end to this madness. We must stop sending the money of European citizens to Ukraine!!!” Updated at 11.28am GMT 10.57am GMT Merz-Zelenskyy call on corruption shows concern from European partners - snap analysis The Merz-Zelenskyy call is significant as show the level of concern among some of Ukraine’s closest allies about the reported corruption investigation and Kyiv’s determination to fight corruption – an issue also highlighted in a recent EU progress report. The European Commission’s daily midday briefing is about to get under way in the next few minutes, and it’s more likely than not that we will hear from them on this very point, too. Separately, the latest corruption allegations about the government in Kyiv also meant Merz could face some criticism domestically, particularly from the far-right Alternative für Deutschland, over his continued support for Ukraine, so he needed to send a clear message here: highlighting his serious concern and his strong demand for Kyiv to urgently act on this issue. They will be hoping in Berlin that this call achieves just that. Updated at 11.02am GMT 10.52am GMT Merz talks with Zelenskyy on anti-corruption efforts, push for peace talks with Russia German chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy this morning, discussing the latest corruption allegations against (now former) members of the Ukrainian government. Merz’s spokesperson, Stefan Kornelius, said Zelenskyy “informed [Merz] about the corruption investigations against members of his government who have since resigned, pledging full transparency and long-term support for independent anti-corruption agencies,” and “further swift measures to regain the trust of the Ukrainian people, European partners, and international donors.” Merz, in turn, “emphasises the German government’s expectation that Ukraine would vigorously pursue the fight against corruption and further reforms, particularly in the area of ​​the rule of law.” The leaders also spoke about the need to “increase pressure on Moscow to compel Russia to enter into serious negotiations” on a peace settlement, notedly referencing “a more effective use of Russia’s immobilised state assets.” The pair also spoke about continued aid for Ukraine, helping with air defence and energy infrastructure, and the growing number of young Ukrainian men seeking to leave the country for the European Union. 10.46am GMT France pays tribute to victims on 10th anniversary of 13 November 2015 terror attacks Meanwhile, over in Paris, France pays tribute to the victims of the 13 November 2015 terror attacks today in which 130 people were killed. French president Emmanuel Macron is taking part in events commemorating the 10th anniversary of the attack, as is the country’s prime minister Sébastien Lecornu, and other current and former officials, including Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo former president François Hollande. Related: Inside the Paris attacks trial: ‘A man stood up and said: “Stop it, what are you doing?” One of the killers shot him’ 10.37am GMT Row with Beijing that threatened global car production is ‘wake-up call’ to west, Dutch minister says A bitter battle over the future of a Chinese-owned chipmaker in the Netherlands that threatened to cripple the global car industry is a “wake-up call to Europe and the west”, the minister at the heart of the row has warned. The six-week standoff between the EU and Beijing over Nexperia and its vital supplies of automotive semiconductors has served up a sobering lesson to world leaders over their dependency on China, says Vincent Karremans. The Dutch economy minister says he has no regrets about the tussle and would not change his actions even with the benefit of hindsight. “There’s a lot of interest in exactly what happened,” he says. “It’s like an economic thriller.” Detailing for the first time how the trade war unfolded, he recalls high-level exchanges with his German counterpart, the car industry and the US, as well as conversations with critical intelligence that he claims showed Nexperia was moving parts of its physical operations in Hamburg to China. Related: ‘I’d do it all again,’ says Dutch minister at heart of car chip standoff with China 10.35am GMT As the Dutch debate continues – with JA21 leader Joost Eerdmans confirming his party’s readiness to join talks about a centre-right government – let me bring you a different story on the Netherlands, and their recent spat with China over car chips. 10.20am GMT Ukraine will need to sit down for peace talks 'sooner or later,' Kremlin says Meanwhile, the Kremlin argued that Ukraine would have to negotiate with Russia “sooner or later” and that Kyiv’s negotiating position was getting worse by the day, Reuters reported. Moscow has accused Ukraine of refusing to engage in peace talks, but Kyiv says Moscow’s terms to end the war are unacceptable and tantamount to asking it to surrender. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia remained open to a political and diplomatic settlement, but in the meantime would continue its war against Ukraine. “ …the Ukrainian side should know that sooner or later it will have to negotiate, but from a much worse position. The position of the Kyiv regime will deteriorate day by day,” he said. 10.04am GMT Complex political negotiations needed to form next Dutch government, early talks show If you’re reading all this and think it could take some time to sort out a working coalition – you’re right. Ideally, Jetten would want to form a broad coalition of D66 (26 seats), Yeşilgöz-Zegerius’s VDD (22), the left-wing GroenLinks–PvdA (20), and centre-right CDA (18). This would get him a clear majority in the parliament with 86 out of 150 seats in the parliament, but VDD is not keen on teaming up with the left. The most obvious alternative would be to form a centre-right coalition with D66, VDD, CDA, and hard-right JA21 (9), but that would only get him to 75 seats, opening the new government to all sorts of political risks. The next stage of exploratory talks – led by D66 and CDA, as they develop their proposed agenda in five key areas by 9 December – will allow for talks to continue to see what can be done here. The outgoing caretaker prime minister Dick Schoof joked on the election day that he just wanted to be replaced before August next year when he intends to run the Sydney marathon. It may not take quite that long, but judging by early comments from party leaders this morning – there’s a fair bit more to go before we get a coalition here. 9.45am GMT In a sign of potential trouble for Jetten, Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius of the VVD party – which D66 hopes to get on their side in the future government – says her preferred coalition would be on the centre-right, seemingly once again ruling out a coalition with the left-wing GroenLinks–PvdA party. She lists the economy, defence, stricter immigration and asylum laws, and public finances as the party’s priorities. Updated at 9.46am GMT 9.38am GMT Netherlands 'yearns for new era' under new government, D66's Jetten says, but no coalition talks breakthrough yet Opening the debate, Jetten says that “millions of Dutch people have chosen cooperation and optimism” over “bickering and stagnation” of the previous right-wing government, as he says the Netherlands “yearns for a new era” of “stability and decisiveness.” He repeats his key policy focus areas: housing, climate change, migration, and the economy. He says the voters expected parties to “not just look at the differences, but cooperate where possible” to help voters “regain confidence in the power of politics to improve life.” Jetten says the party feels “great responsibility” to form the next government, and calls for the appointment of two “informateurs” from his party, D66, and the centre-right CDA to push ahead with the government forming talks. But he concedes that as there is no clear coalition emerging yet, the talks will need to continue, with the next deadline in early December. But speaking after him, populist PVV leader Geert Wilders goes on the attack, saying the two parties proposed to lead the coalition talks have no majority and are going to “waste time”, as he insists that a right-wing government should be formed instead. He says that if his party is not blocked from the next administration, a new right-wing government could be formed even before Christmas. 9.25am GMT Dutch parliament in sitting to discuss government-forming process The new Dutch parliament is now in sitting. New lawmakers were formally sworn in yesterday, and they are back this morning to discuss the next steps in the government-forming process. Speaker Martin Bosma is opening the sitting, and we’re going to hear from all the party leaders, including the likely next prime minister Rob Jetten. Related: Rob Jetten: anti-Wilders, ‘yes we can’ candidate poised to be next Dutch PM Updated at 9.54am GMT 9.13am GMT Reparation loan on Russian frozen assets 'important instrument in bringing peace,' Zelenskyy says Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy also commented on the issue of Russian frozen assets this morning, telling EU leaders it would be “a big-big loss” for Russia “if we can get this money in any way, be it a loan insured by other countries or any other way.” “If we can have these 140-160bn, this will be a big loss for Putin and his circle of people. You know that it’s their money. And that’s why, for them, it’s really destabilising the system, their clique,” he said. He also said Kyiv would use the money “not only for weapons,” but also to produce other equipment. “This [would] be an important signal for Russia: look, if you continue, you will lose from 35 to 80 billion next year on energy trade (depending on how sanctions will work), and plus 140 in frozen assets. This is an important instrument in bringing peace,” he stressed. 9.01am GMT 'Important we keep supporting Ukraine,' Dutch finance minister says Separately, Dutch finance minister Eelco Heinen said the EU needed to listen to Belgium’s concerns about using Russian frozen assets to help Ukraine, but insisted it was important the bloc continued its support for Kyiv. “I think it’s important that we keep supporting Ukraine. So that’s what I’m fighting for here, that we have to keep the money going through Ukraine so it can be stay afloat – the economy and also their military – in order to fight the aggression that Russia is putting on Ukraine,” he said. Asked about the corruption scandal, he said: “Fighting corruption is a continuous effort that Ukraine has to do, and I’m keep having this dialogue with them as well, that they have to fight corruption, and it’s also part of the conditionality we put on packages we design for Ukraine.” 8.37am GMT Morning opening: How to fund Ukraine next? EU finance ministers are meeting in Brussels this morning to discuss economic and financial agenda of the bloc, including the increasingly urgent question of funding for Ukraine. Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Bloomberg, published this morning ($), that the country’s survival relied on getting more funds from allies. “I hope, God bless, we will get this decision,” he told Bloomberg Television. If not, “We will have to find an alternative, it’s a question of our surviving. That’s why we need it very much. And I count on partners.” The European Commission still hopes to convince the member states – and Belgium, in particular, as it continues to bloc the proposal amid legal fears – to go ahead with a €140bn reparations loan based on frozen Russian assets. Commission president Ursula von der Leyen insisted this morning that it would be “the most effective way to sustain Ukraine’s defence and its economy.” A final decision on the issue has been postponed until the EU leaders’s summit in December, with the funding needed early next year. But the talks come at a tricky moment for Kyiv, as Zelenskyy had to move to contain growing public outrage in Ukraine over a corruption scandal in the energy sector, firing two ministers who are accused of involvement in a large-scale bribery scheme. Related: Zelenskyy fires ministers accused of involvement in bribery scheme as public outrage grows Danish economic affairs minister Stephanie Lose was asked about her reaction to the scandal, and insisted that there was determination to continue supporting Ukraine. “Of course, Ukraine will have to continuously work with reforms, strengthening all parts of their society [and] that also applies to anti-corruption … but there shouldn’t be any doubt that there’s a strong European support behind Ukraine,” she said. Let’s see what comes out of today’s meeting. Separately, I will be keeping an eye on the Netherlands where the parliament meets to discuss potential ways ahead in the government formation process, the Italy-Albania consultations in Rome giving us the latest chance to enjoy the brilliant Meloni-Rama dynamics, and a number of high-level meetings across Europe, including Nato’s Mark Rutte’s visit to a German airbase. Lots for us to cover. It’s Thursday, 13 November 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live. Good morning.