How the Biden White House scrambled after Poland missile blast

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to the media after an alleged Russian missile blast in Poland, in Bali, Indonesia, November 16, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden has been adamant that the United States will back Ukraine in its nine-month fight to repel a Russian invasion. But he has insisted, "we will not fight the Third World War in Ukraine."

So when a missile struck a village in Poland near the Ukraine border on Nov. 15 and there were early claims it was launched by Russia, he and his top team of advisers were jolted into crisis mode. The United States and other NATO nations would be obliged to defend fellow NATO member Poland militarily if it were a Russia attack - a situation that could escalate into the global war most wanted to avoid.