PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — "I'm from Hungary, I was born in Budapest," Klara Kovacs says.
But now this stylist in Ponte Vedra is worried sick about her mother, who still lives in Hungary, a country which borders Ukraine.
"I'm worried, I'm really, really worried," Kovacs says. She works at Ten Salon and is faithful to her job as a stylist. She's popular with her clients, but right now her mind keeps going to her home country.
She holds out her arms wide. "So, so much. This big!" she says, describing how much she loves her mom.
Kovacs is worried Russian President Vladimir Putin could escalate the violence and launch attacks into Hungary, on the southern border of Ukraine.
"Everybody is on tippy toe at the moment, we don't know what can happen any day. Anything can happen," she says.
She's told her mom to get two weeks of supplies, in case electricity goes out. "She's on the tenth floor. She's not able to go up and down," Kovacs explains.
She and her brother have purchased plane tickets to fly to Hungary. Their plan is to bring their mother back to Jacksonville to keep her safe. They also plan to collect diapers and take them to refugees pouring into Hungary.
First Coast News asked our National Security Advisor, Vice Admiral Rick Snyder, Retired, about the threat to NATO countries.
Admiral Snyder has years of experience planning defense strategies for North America at the Pentagon and at NORAD.
Of course, Putin has already shown his unpredictable behavior, but Admiral Snyder doesn't see an immediate threat of invading NATO countries.
Admiral Snyder:
I don’t see any signs of a direct Russian attack on Hungary, Poland or any other NATO nation. Putin knows that an attack on NATO would be crossing the Rubicon to an all-out war with NATO. The only way I see that happening as a result of him believing there is an existential threat to his regime. Putin is frustrated at the continued flow of arms into Ukraine from the west, and Russian attacks in the west are likely aimed to hinder that flow.
First Coast News also asked Admiral Snyder about Article 5 of the NATO agreement, which President Biden has called a "sacred commitment." It says if any one of its 30 members is attacked, it's considered an attack on all.
What would the United States be obligated to do if, say, Russia sends a missile into Poland?
Admiral Snyder:
A U.S. obligation would come from NATO agreement to invoke Article 5 - collective defense. If invoked, Article 5 requires each Nation to take such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security. It is an authority to use force, but not an obligation. That said, I believe a Russian attack on NATO territory would lead to much more significant U.S. military involvement.
