Morning opening: Goedemorgen
Jakub Krupa
The vote count is almost done in the Dutch parliamentary election, with the far-right PVV party of anti-immigration firebrand Geert Wilders narrowly ahead of the centrist D66 with 99.6% votes counted.
But the difference between the two parties is just under 1,400 votes, and many more are still yet to be counted, including parts of Amsterdam and 135,000 votes from abroad.
While it definitely symbolically matters whether PVV or D66 will come out on top, it seems that it will be the centrist with their charismatic leader, Rob Jetten, who will likely lead the talks to form the next government, with Wilders going back to the opposition.
As my colleague Jon Henley noted, the shift in the early hours of Thursday is unlikely to alter the composition of the next government coalition. All major mainstream parties have ruled out governing with Wilders after he brought down the last coalition led by his PVV.
That does not mean, however, that the coalition talks will be any easier and the talks between potential partners are widely expected to take months before the new administration emerge.
The outgoing prime minister, Dick Schoof, said yesterday he hoped they would be wrapped up by, erm, August next year, as he wants to run a marathon in Sydney. Call it a deadline of sorts.
I will bring you all the latest reactions from the Netherlands and beyond as we see the results come in. The official announcement of the final result is expected next week.
It’s Thursday, 30 October 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Key events
Poland scrambles jets, briefly closes airports in response to Russian attacks on western Ukraine
In response to Russian drone attacks on Ukraine overnight, Poland had to briefly close airports in eastern cities of Radom and Lublin.
Two Ukrainian energy facilities in the western region of Lviv, bordering Poland, were hit overnight, the regional governor said, with Ukraine’s prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko criticising Russian “systematic energy terror.”
Both airports have reopened late morning.
Poland’s army also said earlier today that Polish and allied aircraft were scrambled to monitor the border as a precautionary measure.
The country remains on high alert after last month’s incursion of over 20 Russian drones into Polish airspace, which prompted international outrage with Poland calling for urgent Nato and UN consultations over the incident.
Ukraine says Russia hit with 650 drones, 50 missiles overnight
Elsewhere, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched over 650 drones and 50 missiles against Ukraine overnight in “a complex, combined” strike against the country.
He said that “tens of people have been reported injured” in a strike on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia, with at least two dead.
Separately, Ivan Fedorov, the governor of Zaporizhzhia region, said that at least 13 people were injured.
“There have also been many vile strikes on energy facilities and civilian life across the regions – Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Cherkasy, Poltava, Dnipro, Chernihiv, Sumy, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv regions,” he said.
Zelenskyy says that as “Russia continues its terrorist war against life itself, … it’s crucial that every such vile attack on civilians boomerangs back on Russia with concrete consequences – sanctions and real pressure.”
“We count on America, Europe, and the G7 countries not to ignore this Moscow’s intent to destroy everything,” he added.
Morning opening: Goedemorgen
Jakub Krupa
The vote count is almost done in the Dutch parliamentary election, with the far-right PVV party of anti-immigration firebrand Geert Wilders narrowly ahead of the centrist D66 with 99.6% votes counted.
But the difference between the two parties is just under 1,400 votes, and many more are still yet to be counted, including parts of Amsterdam and 135,000 votes from abroad.
While it definitely symbolically matters whether PVV or D66 will come out on top, it seems that it will be the centrist with their charismatic leader, Rob Jetten, who will likely lead the talks to form the next government, with Wilders going back to the opposition.
As my colleague Jon Henley noted, the shift in the early hours of Thursday is unlikely to alter the composition of the next government coalition. All major mainstream parties have ruled out governing with Wilders after he brought down the last coalition led by his PVV.
That does not mean, however, that the coalition talks will be any easier and the talks between potential partners are widely expected to take months before the new administration emerge.
The outgoing prime minister, Dick Schoof, said yesterday he hoped they would be wrapped up by, erm, August next year, as he wants to run a marathon in Sydney. Call it a deadline of sorts.
I will bring you all the latest reactions from the Netherlands and beyond as we see the results come in. The official announcement of the final result is expected next week.
It’s Thursday, 30 October 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
