While some war enthusiasts among the American punditry have certainly been agitating for World War III, the leadership in both the White House and Congress have repeatedly and straightforwardly refused most calls to escalate the conflict.

Unfortunately, a number of foreign parliaments among the U.S.' NATO "partners" have not been nearly as hesitant to escalate matters. Among the most reckless on this issue have been lawmakers from a number of eastern European states. For example, policymakers in the Baltics in recent weeks have called for a no-fly zone in Ukraine. Newsweek reported this month:

Lithuania's parliament unanimously approved a resolution calling for a no-fly zone over Ukraine—joining other NATO members Estonia and Slovenia in the appeal. Rihards Kols, chairman of the Latvian parliament's foreign affairs committee, also announced [March 17] his country is calling for such a zone.

But here's the problem: a so-called no-fly zone would be an de facto declaration of war on Russia by NATO. Moreover, when we say "by NATO" we really mean mostly "by the United States."

At around the same time, the Polish regime began its own scheme to escalate the war and bring the U.S. into direct conflict with Moscow. Warsaw, apparently without consulting Washington, hatched a plan to send fighter jets to Ukraine via U.S. military bases, and then have the U.S. "backfill" Poland's air force with F-16s. This would have constituted a significant escalation as well, and was fortunately quashed by the White House.