President Joe Biden said he would defend NATO to the point of World War III, but that he won’t risk touching off a wider conflict by fighting Russia in Ukraine and ruled out establishing a no-fly zone.
“As we provide this support to Ukraine, we’re going to continue to stand together with our allies in Europe and send an unmistakable message: that we will defend every inch of NATO territory,” Biden said in Philadelphia on Friday during a speech to Democrats. “If they move once — granted, if we respond, it is World War III, but we have a sacred obligation on NATO territory.”