Fear of Europe drifting into war
June 27th, 2022Two pro-government commentators ponder the chances of the escalation of the Ukraine war into a conflict between Russia and Europe – or even a Third World War.
Magyar Demokrata editor-in-chief András Bencsik in his regular first page editorial writes that ‘despite all its imperfections, the EU is a wonderful institution that can help us to defend peace for another one hundred years’. The pro-government commentator, however, thinks that Brexit jeopardizes the EU’s main mission to sustain peace. Bencsik recalls that General Patrick Sanders, recently appointed Chief of the General Staff, called on the British army to prepare to defeat Russian forces in ground warfare in Europe. Bencsik suspects that the Brexit itself was carried out to prepare such a war against Russia. He goes so far as to claim that the US and the UK want to defend their hegemony by defeating Russia. Bencsik claims that the US and the UK had to compromise with the Soviet Union after World War Two, but now they want to defeat it with “systematic provocations that finally fooled Russia into a local war”. Bencsik goes on to allege that the US and UK hoped that they can beat Russia by arming Ukraine. As this plan failed and Russia ‘gains the upper hand’ militarily, culturally as well as economically, the escalation of the Ukraine war into a Third World War is becoming a real possibility, Bencsik speculates. He concludes by suggesting that the US and UK are fully aware that Russia is too strong to be defeated, and so their real plan with a global conflict is to turn the EU and Europe into a colony.
In Magyar Nemzet, László Szőcs calls for more caution in EU policies towards Russia. The pro-government columnist fears that the dispute over Russian access to Kaliningrad through Lithuania may lead to the escalation of the Ukraine war. Szőcs fears that the EU may cross a line by introducing further sanctions on Russia, since limiting its access to Kaliningrad may be interpreted as a provocation. Szőcs adds that provoking a nuclear power with sanctions is both dangerous and economically disastrous for the EU, as it puts access to energy sources at risk. If the EU introduces sanctions that “threaten the Russian population directly”, then Moscow may respond with “irrational steps”, and Europe may drift into war, Szőcs concludes.