News Flash
BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 10, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Russia is so far the only winner of the Iran war, EU chief Antonio Costa said Tuesday, lamenting that Moscow profited from soaring energy prices sparked by US-Israeli strikes and Tehran's retaliation.
The diversion of military capabilities -- and attention -- from Ukraine to the Middle East, also benefited Russia, Costa, who presides over the European Council representing the bloc's member states, said.
"So far, there is only one winner in this war -- Russia," he told European Union ambassadors in Brussels.
"It steadily undermines Ukraine's position by flouting international law. It gains new resources to finance its war against Ukraine as energy prices rise."
The Iran war has upended the world's energy and transport sectors, virtually halting activity in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz as Iran's retaliatory strikes hit the Gulf.
US President Donald Trump said Monday that Washington will waive some sanctions on oil to boost supply and bring down prices.
Trump did not specify any country or provide details on which sanctions would be lifted -- but the announcement came after a call with Russia's President Vladimir Putin.
Curbing Moscow's oil revenues has long been a key focus of Western sanctions aimed at limiting Putin's ability to finance his war on Ukraine.
Ukraine is also in critical need of air defence systems as Russia pummels its energy infrastructure and cities. But such equipment is now in high demand because of Iranian strikes across the Middle East.
"We know the new reality: a reality in which Russia violates peace, China disrupts trade, and the United States challenges the international rules-based order," Costa said in a speech at an annual gathering of EU diplomats.
Brussels stood with the "longsuffering people of Iran" and supported their right to "determine their own future" he said.
"But freedom and human rights cannot be achieved through bombs. Only international law upholds them," he said.
"We must avoid further escalation. Such a path threatens the Middle East, Europe, and beyond."
