President of the United States of America (USA), Joe Biden, said that NATO would avoid a direct confrontation with Russia as it 'would trigger World War III'. Biden said that Russia will have to 'pay a severe price' for using chemical weapons, but avoided having a direct confrontation with Russia.
Saturday marks the 17th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine after Moscow recognised breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities.
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"We're going to continue to stand together with our allies in Europe and send an unmistakable message. We'll defend every single inch of NATO territory with the full might of the United States and galvanise NATO. We will not fight a war against Russia in Ukraine. Direct confrontation between NATO and Russia is World War III. Something we must strive to prevent," Biden told reporters at the White House.
"We stand with the people of Ukraine. We will not let autocrats and would-be emperors dictate the direction of the world. Democracies are rising to meet this moment, rallying the world to the side of peace...We're showing our strength and we will not falter," he added.
Biden further pledged to mount economic pressure on Russia to isolate the former Soviet state on a global level.
"We're going to continue to stand together with our allies in Europe and send an unmistakable message. We'll defend every single inch of NATO territory with the full might of the United States and galvanise NATO. We will not fight a war against Russia in Ukraine. Direct confrontation between NATO and Russia is World War III. Something we must strive to prevent," Biden told reporters at the White House.
Since the Russian invasion began on February 24, around 1.43 million Ukrainians have fled to Poland. During the same period, about 291,081 Ukrainians migrated to Romania.