European Council President Antonio Costa has told EU ambassadors in Brussels that the Iran war has produced one clear winner — and it is not among the combatants. "So far, there is only one winner in this war. Russia," Costa said, laying out a three-part argument: rising energy prices are refilling Russian war coffers, Western military assets are being diverted from Ukraine to the Middle East, and global attention has shifted away from the Ukrainian front. He called on all parties to return to the negotiating table, saying "freedom and human rights cannot be achieved through bombs." The remarks come ahead of planned EU restrictions on Russian LNG due in April 2026.