US President Joe Biden vetoed Warsaw's proposal to send Polish MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, arguing that it was to avoid provoking Russia into direct confrontation with NATO, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

According to the US media outlet, Biden personally vetoed the proposal, and the decision came directly from him.

Despite not allowing Warsaw to provide Kiev with arms so as not to provoke Moscow, Washington had supplied weapons to Ukraine.

The West, mainly the US, had supplied its eastern European ally with a wide array of arms, including Javelin and NLAW anti-tank weapons, Stingers, and ammunition for regular arms.

Earlier on Friday, Biden said the United States would defend the territory of the NATO member states against an attack from Russia, but such action could lead to World War III.

The last time Biden mentioned WWIII was when he was justifying his country's sanctions against Russia. "You have two options: start a third World War, go to war with Russia physically. Or two, make sure that a country that acts so contrary to international law ends up paying the price," he said during an interview.

Russia had for months been warning of the threat posed against it by NATO's attempts to expand eastward, which happened simultaneously with an increase in NATO military activity along Russia's borders, and batches of lethal weapons being sent to Ukraine, prompting Russia to request security guarantees from the West.

When Brussels and Washington failed to provide the guarantees, and in light of Ukraine shelling Donbass, whose people were pleading for Russia to help out against Kiev, Moscow launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the goal of demilitarizing and "denazifying" the country.