Ader: Negotiations could lead to peace

Speaking on the occasion of the Day of National Cohesion, Ader compared the current situation to the first world war, and said in 1914 Austria had been “seeking a local war” and assumed that Germany’s support would keep Russia out of the conflict, and that Britain would stay neutral, keeping France away, too. “Everybody was mistaken; they expected self-constraint from all others but did not coordinate and it led to a world war,” he said.

“The situation now is the same: the Russia-Ukraine war could easily escalate from a regional conflict into a world war … politicians’ attitudes are hauntingly similar to those at the time of the outbreak of the first world war,” he said. He also warned that should NATO get involved in the war “Russia, due to the military and technological superiority of NATO, could use its nuclear arsenal.”

Referring to a report by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Ader said it suggested that Ukraine should be accepted by NATO as a member whether that country is at war or not. He said that such a procedure would go against the North Atlantic Treaty, but added that the document “could be modified easily”. Once Ukraine is a NATO member, all other members will be obliged to defend it, Ader added.

Once the war escalates, Russia will not consider it Hungary had advocated peace before it became one of the warring parties, Ader warned. “Hungarians do not want their sons to go to the front lines … peace is a must,” he said.