Anonymous sources close to the Biden administration reported Monday that the President is considering a visit to Europe for meetings with NATO officials regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
While Biden has placed a series of sanctions aimed at crippling Russia's economy and provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine, he has stopped short of employing a no-fly zone repeatedly requested by Ukraine's President Zelenskyy or supplying the beleaguered nation with fighter jets despite promises to do just that.
Still, the Western media has portrayed the American administration as leading the deterrence effort against Putin while attempting to mediate between the warring sides.
The President would likely spend a majority of his trip trying to shore up support with NATO allies for additional retaliatory steps against Moscow, even as countries such as Lithuania and Finland prepare for possible strikes.
NATO, for its part, has provided the Ukraine military with defensive weaponry and tactical equipment, despite its not being a member of the Western alliance.
Despite efforts to help Ukraine, the Russian army continues its advance towards Kyiv, with cities across the country shelled and hundreds of thousands of refugees on the run.
After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated pleas for NATO to impose a no-fly zone over his country, warning its member states would be attacked by Russia, Biden appeared in no hurry to risk all-out war with Russia reacting coolly to Zelenskyy’s proposal.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that U.S. participation in such a move would be tantamount to a direct conflict with Moscow.
"A no-fly zone would require implementation," she said, adding it would require "deploying the US military to enforce, which would potentially [result in] a direct conflict, and...war with Russia, which is something we are not planning to be a part of."
Sunday night’s comments from Zelenskyy came after 35 people were killed and more than 130 injured when Russian troops launched air strikes on a military training ground outside Ukraine's western city of Lviv, near the border with NATO member Poland.