By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BUDAPEST/NOORDWIJK (Worthy News) – Hungary condemned plans for a NATO military alliance mission in Ukraine on Thursday, saying it could lead to a broader war within six months.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s cabinet chief, Gergely Gulyás, said, “War fever has spread to NATO and its commanders.”
He said plans for an official mission in Ukraine marked “a departure” from NATO’s previously non-active role in the conflict, though Worthy News already reported about troops on the ground.
“We are in a very dangerous period. The next six months are crucial in determining whether the world moves towards war or peace,” Gulyás added in a statement obtained by Worthy News.
Hungary, which joined NATO in 1999, is concerned about “the current international military-political climate and Europe’s troubling march towards conflict,” he stressed.
Gulyás said Hungary’s government is preparing for the ramifications of a prolonged conflict.
Hungary has refused to send weapons to Ukraine to help it fight against Russia’s invading military.
PEACE TALKS
Instead, Orbán has proposed peace talks between Ukraine and Russia to end a war that has killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people.
The warning from Hungary came amid growing signs that Western European nations are preparing for a broader war against Russia.
Among the countries stepping up its military awareness is the Netherlands, where realities on the ground now challenge longtime liberal peace attitudes.
Some 200,000 17-year-olds in the Netherlands receive their “call-up papers” informing them they are now eligible for military service” should it be required.
Active military service was abolished in 1997, and since then, teenagers were sent a letter in the year they turned 17 informing them they had been added to the military service register.
They can then be called up at any time if the Netherlands goes to war with another country before they turn 45.
This year, the letter also alerts youngsters to the possibility of “a career” in the army via a so-called “service year.”
JOINING ARMY
“The service year is a chance to work as a fully-fledged member of the army. Recruits will be offered a 10-week training and a full salary,” caretaker defense minister Kajsa Ollongren told the youngsters.
A service year could occur after secondary school or during a sabbatical from work. Some 221 people signed up for the first service year, which started in September 2023, officials said.
The ministry aims for 1000 recruits for the next as about 5,000 defense jobs are waiting to be filled annually, according to the Ministry of Defense.
This year, Dutch princess Ariana will also receive the letter, like her sisters before her, authorities explained. But it wasn’t clear whether the princess would do military service.
“It’s an opportunity for young people to learn skills and develop leadership qualities and for the army to combat staff shortages,” a defense spokesman claimed.
“The recruits get to know the organization, and if they want to, they can continue their career in the armed forces. If not, they become ambassadors in society. It’s a way to strengthen the link between the army and society,” he added.
Yet elderly Dutch people still remembering World War Two and the Cold War are concerned. “This isn’t just an invitation for a career. This is preparing young people for war,” said Aafje van Kampen, an 82-year-old painting artist, on a windy day in the Dutch seaside town of Noordwijk.
Back in Budapest, the government hopes the war in neighboring Ukraine won’t boil over further into Europe, but it suggests that time is running out.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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