October 21, 2025: EU Green Light on Frozen Russian Assets for Ukraine Loan, Sarkozy Jailed, Orbán Key Diplomat, Prince Andrew Rent Row, Merz Takes Control, UK Red-Tape Blitz, Commission Reshuffle
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Today's October 21, 2025. The primary focus is on the European Union's critical move to finance Ukraine, as Brussels prepares to give the political go-ahead for using frozen Russian state assets to secure a major loan for Kyiv.
This decision, which could unlock up to €140 billion in funding for Ukraine, is set against the backdrop of complex peace diplomacy. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has suddenly become a key figure in this process due to the planned Trump-Putin meeting in Budapest, an event that is expected to allow Orbán to dominate the EU summit, despite his planned late arrival.
Meanwhile, French political history is being made as former President Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to be incarcerated at La Santé prison today, having been convicted of association of malefactors regarding his 2007 presidential campaign funding. His family is organizing a rally of support outside the prison.
In Germany, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has shifted strategy, positioning himself as the "Bundes-Troubleshooter". Merz is now pulling key contentious issues, like disputes over compulsory military service (Wehrdienst) and opposition to the new pension package, to himself—declaring them Chefsache (a matter for the boss)—in an effort to curb government infighting.
Across the channel, the UK government is attempting to signal economic growth by launching a "red-tape-cutting blitz" aimed at scrapping "pointless paperwork" for small businesses. However, this effort is overshadowed by reports that Prince Andrew has not paid rent on his Royal Lodge mansion since 2003, having only paid "one peppercorn (if demanded)" annually for two decades.
Finally, we look inside the Berlaymont as Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her chief of staff outline a high-stakes Commission reshuffle. This is described as a "chess play" intended to fill strategically vital positions, with major changes anticipated among Directors-General in key areas like trade, enlargement, and competition (DG COMP).
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