US challenges international rules-based order, EU Council chief warns

European Council President Antonio Costa has said that the United States is challenging the international rules-based order, warning that growing geopolitical rivalries are weakening the global system built on international law.

Speaking at the EU Ambassadors' Conference in Brussels on Tuesday, Costa said the world is entering a new geopolitical reality in which major powers are increasingly testing global norms.

“We know the new reality,” he said. “A reality in which Russia violates peace, China disrupts trade, and the United States challenges the international rules-based order.”

Costa said the European Union must work with international partners to uphold the principles enshrined in the UN Charter and international law.

“It is in our interest to ensure that the world remains rules-based and cooperative. It is in our interest to avoid further world fragmentation,” he said.

He warned that the emerging multipolar world requires stronger multilateral cooperation rather than a return to spheres of influence where power politics replace international law.

Costa also addressed the escalating tensions in the Middle East, calling for restraint and warning against further escalation while stressing the importance of protecting civilians and ensuring nuclear safety.

The EU leader said disruptions such as a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could have significant global economic consequences.

“So far, there is only one winner in this war: Russia,” Costa said, referring to the conflict triggered by recent attacks on Iran.

“It gains new resources to finance its war against Ukraine as energy prices rise,” he said.

“It profits from the diversion of military capabilities that could otherwise have been sent to support Ukraine, and it benefits from the reduced attention to the Ukrainian front as the conflict in the Middle East takes centre stage,” Costa added.

Costa also said the EU stands with the people of Iran and supports their right to determine their own future, but stressed that military action cannot bring freedom or human rights.

“We believe that human rights and freedoms must be fully respected, but freedom and human rights cannot be achieved through bombs. Only international law upholds them,” he said.

He acknowledged that the EU sometimes struggles to reach swift consensus during crises but said the bloc must learn from past experiences.

“I recognise how challenging it can sometimes be to reach a timely united position. However, we should have learned valuable lessons, like the need to respond quickly to urgent situations, as we saw with Gaza,” Costa said.