Europe Today: Ukraine talks yield prisoner swap as European leaders meet in Dublin

Good morning. It's Thursday, November 12th. You're watching Euronews and this is Europe Today. Our top stories. A large-scale prisoner exchange emerged as the only tangible result of two days of US-mediated talks between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi, with no breakthrough on a ceasefire or territorial disputes. US envoy Kushner announced the agreement, saying the final number of prisoners to be exchanged would be determined later today. Kushner traveled to Moscow today to meet Russian President Putin before heading to Dublin for talks with Ukrainian President Zelensky. At least 300 schools were evacuated across Italy after receiving bomb alerts by email. The email also contained an explicit threat directed towards Italian Prime Minister Maloney. Authorities undertook security checks to guarantee the safety of students, teachers and school staff. Meanwhile, Iran rejected French accusations that it was responsible for cyber attacks on supermarket fridges last month as baseless. Tehran blamed the French government for the incident. And, more than 60% of women serving in Germany's armed forces, the Bundeswehr, have experienced sexual misconduct ranging from lewd remarks to physical harassment. That's according to a shocking new study presented by Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, revealing up to five times more cases than previously reported. Some now fear the report could deter women from applying to join the armed forces. Pistorius announced a zero-tolerance policy towards potential offenders. Welcome to the program, I'm Stefan Grober. Two days of US-mediated peace talks between Ukraine and Russia have concluded in Abu Dhabi with an agreement in principle on a major prisoner exchange, but no breakthrough on a ceasefire or territorial dispute. US Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are now in Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin before further discussions with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ireland. For more on this, Sasha Vakulina joins me now in the studio, our Ukraine correspondent. Good morning, Sasha. So after two days of negotiations in Abu Dhabi, what has actually been achieved and are we any closer to an end of this war? Not yet. What was achieved also is the, I think the bigger picture, is the renewal of the diplomatic process, nine months after this long break since this February. So that is a positive sign. And then, of course, the prisoners of war exchange, as you mentioned. We are waiting to hear more information from Witkoff and Kushner after their meeting with Putin regarding how many people are going to be included in that POW swap. Just to give you an example, last time that happened, And each side swapped one. 1,000 prisoners of war, so I think we are looking at a similar situation now, about 1,000, 1,500 prisoners of war are going to be swapped from each side. Unfortunately, nothing, no breakthrough on any sort of a ceasefire, any shape or form, like the energy ceasefire, that's not happening. And also nothing, no news regarding the territorial concession, which, of course, remains the most complicated issue and also the one that requires the leaders meeting. And Toby Gregory, who was in Abu Dhabi, asked U.S. envoys about when would be the moment for Zelensky and Putin to meet. And this is what Jared Kushner said. So I think it'd be great if they did that at any time. I think that that would be a good thing. But I think that what, again, just to be transparent, I think what the Russians have said is they'd like to see more progress made before that happens. I think that clearly there's not great trust or love between the leaders. So I think that if we can find a pathway to arrange, and I will say this too, these deals do take time. In general, one of the central issues in these negotiations was Europe's involvement. Is there anything that has changed? And will they get a seat at the table? Uh... Probably. The question is, when would that happen? Because are they now closer than they used to be? Yes, but they're still not at the table. The Europeans did have separate consultations with Kyiv and with the U.S. envoys. The Moscow representatives still refuse to sit down with them. There was this statement coming from Moscow that they don't know why the Europeans are there. They can stay in the hotel. That's a quote from the foreign minister. So Europeans are getting closer, but the Kremlin is still very much against it. Now, Jared Kushner said that Washington repeatedly told Putin and his team that European involvement was essential to any sort of an agreement. And this is also the reason, the reason why. Witkoff and Kushner landed already in Moscow to ask for that agreement, to ask Putin to allow the Europeans at the table, or how Kushner put it, to ask for his blessing to do so. We relayed to President Putin directly several times and to his team that the only way to get this done is to have them by our side. And I think that they're receptive to it. And I believe that hopefully tomorrow in Moscow, Steve and I will be successful and President Putin will give the blessing for that to occur. All right, Sasha Vakulina, thank you very much. As mentioned, US envoys Witkoff and Kushner will be in Dublin today to brief Ukrainian President Zelensky on progress on the talks in Abu Dhabi. 45 other European leaders are also in the Irish capital for a gathering of the European political community. Let's bring in our correspondent Shona Murray, who is in Dublin for us. Good morning, Shona. So firstly, tell us why leaders are meeting and what's been happening. Well, good morning, Stephen, and it could be shaping up to be an EPC meeting like no other because you have those U.S. envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, coming here this evening direct from Moscow. And, of course, they'll be debriefing Vladimir Zelensky, as we know. President Zelensky gave a press briefing last night with the host of the Taoiseach Micheál Martin where he called for European leaders to coalesce around one voice to speak for Europe. But normally the EPC is an organisation of 50 European leaders. It was created in the aftermath of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and around 45 of those leaders will be convening here in the Convention Centre in Dublin City Centre alongside Mark Rutte, the NATO Secretary General and Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada. Canada, not too close to Europe necessarily geographically, but very much so politically and Canada being very much part of European security architecture. So those discussions will really focus on the future of the continent and no doubt the discussions ongoing that have come from Abu Dhabi and ongoing in relation to Ukraine. Stefan? There's also a meeting of EU leaders on Friday, tomorrow. What can we expect here? Indeed, after the 45 or so leaders meet today, tomorrow there'll be an informal meeting of the European Council that the 27 leaders of the EU, most of which will be here. We won't have the Spanish prime minister or the Belgian prime minister, but they'll be discussing. Important issues around AI security, tech sovereignty, and very much so discussing that issue from Volodymyr Zelensky, that Europe needs to nominate one spokesperson to discuss its future when it comes to negotiations around Ukraine and the security architecture. There'll also be probably quite a tense discussion about the EU seven-year budget because, you know, the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that he's insisting that all 27 countries pay into the budget for Ukraine. Remember last Christmas, some countries like Slovakia, Hungary, Czechia, they said that they would not pay for Ukraine's future funding. And Friedrich Merz said this is absolutely unacceptable, that it can't be, that only some countries share the burden. So those two days really probably will be quite crucial given the moment we're in now. Stefan? All right, Shauna Murray in Dublin. Thank you very much. Infinitely scrolling and influencers opaquely peddling products could be very much a thing of the past, as Brussels has proposed a crackdown against harmful e-commerce platforms and insidious online practices. Our correspondent Angela Scrujin spoke exclusively with the EU Commissioner for Consumer Protection, Michael McGrath, about the new pitched measures, as well as the political fight brewing in Warsaw over Poland's constitutional tribunal. Take a listen. It is a significant reform of EU consumer law because it reflects the digitalisation of our economy that we have experienced over the last number of years. And it's the first major update in about 20 years. And when you consider everything that has happened in our economy over that period of time, then I think you begin to understand the need for this update to our legislation. What does the enforcement look like? So, first of all, the enforcement will still primarily be done at a national level. And in the case of cross-border breaches of consumer law, we will continue to coordinate as a European Commission the actions of many different national authorities. But then for the more systemic, large-scale breaches, the Commission will have the power now for the first time to directly investigate and enforce consumer law. And in extremis, in the worst-case scenario, We have the potential to impose fines of up to 6% of worldwide turnover of companies found guilty of these major breaches of consumer law. Moving on to another topic that you cover as the Justice Commissioner, we've seen a widening constitutional crisis occupy Poland. What do you make of this firestorm that seems to engulf Warsaw at the moment? Well, the most important thing is that the rule of law is upheld in Poland and it falls to the Polish authorities in the first instance to ensure that that is the case and also to ensure that when it comes to the appointment of judges, for example, that it is done in a manner consistent with the Polish Constitutional Tribunal and indeed the judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union. And I take note of the fact that we had a Venice Commission opinion on these issues as recently as October. And there's also a relevant judgment with interim measures from the European Court of Human Rights earlier this year. And in essence, it is for the Parliament, it is for the SEM in the case of Poland, in line with their own constitution and in line with the provisions of the Court of Justice findings. ...to appoint judges to serve at the highest level in the... Angela Scrujin speaking to EU Commissioner Michael McGrath. As rising seas threaten coastal communities around the globe, negotiators at COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, are under immense pressure to move past empty promises. But with geopolitical tensions high and major polluters dragging their feet, can this summit actually deliver for our oceans? To cut through the diplomatic noise, I'm now joined from Antalya by Dr. Louis Firth, a leading marine ecologist at University College Cork in Ireland. Good morning and thank you for coming on the show. Good morning, thank you for having me. So, Turkey and Australia are co-leading what was billed as the Implementation Summit, yet neither is quitting fossil fuels. Why should we take the outcome of these talks seriously? Because we have to. You asked the question about, you know, can we make a difference? I think it's a case of we have to. I was in a session yesterday where we were talking about small island nations and sea level rise. Those guys obviously are at the absolute front line. And for example, the Pacific holds some of the greatest natural wealth in the world. So if those countries disappear and are threatened by the sea level rise, we all lose out. So it's not a case of... Can we, if we have to? Right. With the US skipping an official delegation and the EU distracted by its own economy, are we heading for some sort of watered-down compromises instead of real action? I hope not. 2026 was a bit of a turning point for many of us. I mean, obviously, with all of the extreme weather that was experienced across Europe and other places, as well as the fuel crisis, everyone is now aware of this. There's not much space for climate denial anymore. It's a case for action. So I really do think the year that's been in it, it's good. It can hopefully shine a light on this and actually provide an impetus for more action. Pacific Islanders already feel sidelined in Antalya. What is the single non-negotiable result coastal communities need before the summit ends? Financing. The rest of the world has to basically support them. They were not the biggest polluters, they were not the biggest contributors to this crisis, but they're the ones that are going to experience it the most. The rest of the world has to get behind supporting them and providing that finance. And if COP 31 ends with more pledges on paper but no binding cash for coastal adaptation, is the UN climate process officially broken? Oh dear, that's a big question. I hope not, I hope not. No, I'm going to say no, you have to hope. What would need to happen then? We've seen these conferences over and over again, but if we look at the statistics and you know them better than me, nothing really changes, right? Well, individuals can change things. I mean, there's a lot of things that individuals can do themselves. And we're all empowered to make choices all day, every day of our lives. If we were waiting for the politicians to do that for us, that's why we're in this mess. Individuals can take control. And there's plenty of decisions that they can make every single day to make a difference. All right. Dr. Louise Firth, climate expert from University College Cork. Thank you very much for your time this morning. This evening, we will premiere a new show here on Euronews. World Conversation with Jane Witherspoon launches at 9.10 CET tonight. Her first guest is Sihasak Phangketkiao, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. They'll be discussing geopolitics, cooperation with Europe, and relations with China and the United States. Here's a sneak peek. You mentioned that the superpowers, so we're talking China and the U.S., who are great allies for Thailand. How do you balance that relationship though? You say you make it about the issues, not the countries. Well, the best way of balancing is to, you know, we have to consider what is in our interests, you know, and what are the principles stand for, and what we consider to be what is right. Yes. And when times come that you have to make a decision, we do have to make a decision. And maybe it goes one way, and the other party might not like it. But we hope that they will respect us for having made that decision rather than sitting on the wall, sitting on the fence. That was Jane Witherspoon with the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand. The full interview tonight at 10 past 9 CET. The EU Commission has set out its legislative priorities for 2027. This week, our flagship debate show, The Ring, premiered for its second season with an expanded, longer format, and it has already left memorable headlines, a true glimpse of European Parliament debates. Members Benedetta Scuderi from the Greens from Italy and Markus Faber, a Christian Democrat from Germany, stepped on the ring as we asked, Is the EU headed into the right direction? And they quickly slugged it out in a very heated debate. Take a look at what happened. Your group, the green group, calls the program for next year, and I quote, an attack against nature. Are you really sure that you are reading correctly what the commission has proposed? That is not an attack against nature, but really adjusting. I think that adjusting to a new situation would be extremely great if you look at what is the situation. But it looks like the EPP is not looking at the climate collapse. You're not able to do anything about the climate... Who says that? What is your proof for this, Grace? Sorry, that is unacceptable. That is unacceptable, really. Why is EPP... Because all the omnibuses, as you really fight with them, are going against anything that would be a climate collapse fight. Which omnibus? Tell me which omnibus. I told you, deforestation, the omnibus, the omnibus. See how hard my job is? That does it for us today, thank you for watching, I'm Stefan Grobe, take care and I see you tomorrow.