‘We need to avoid further escalation. This path threatens the Middle East, Europe and beyond,” he said.
BRUSSELS, March 10 (Reuters) – So far Russia has been the sole winner of the war in the Middle East, as energy prices rise and attention to its war against Ukraine has waned, EU Council President António Costa said on Tuesday.
‘So far, there is only one winner in this war – Russia,’ Costa declared in a speech to EU ambassadors in Brussels.
‘It obtains new resources to finance its war against Ukraine from rising energy prices. It profits from the diversion of military capabilities that could otherwise have been sent to support Ukraine. And it benefits from the reduced attention paid to the Ukrainian front as the conflict in the Middle East takes center stage.’
Costa emphasized the need for the EU to protect the rules-based international order, which he said is being challenged by the US, and for all parties in the Middle East to return to the negotiating table.
‘Freedom and human rights cannot be achieved through bombs. Only international law defends them,’ he said.
‘We need to avoid further escalation. This path threatens the Middle East, Europe and beyond.’
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