This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
U.S. President Joe Biden has told reporters he makes “no apologies” for saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power.”
The words came at the end of a speech in Warsaw on March 26 to cap off a visit to Europe last week, raising concern when they were interpreted as meaning that Biden was calling for regime change.
The White House and Secretary of State Antony Blinken rushed to clarify the comment over the weekend, and Biden on March 28 sought to further clarify it, saying it was an expression of “moral outrage,” not new policy.
He added that he was reacting to behavior “that makes the whole world say, ‘my God, what is this man doing?'”
Earlier on March 28 Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Biden’s statement was “certainly alarming.”
But Biden stressed: “Nobody believes I was talking about taking down Putin. The last thing I want to do is engage in a land war with Russia.
He said the unscripted line had been prompted by an emotional visit with families displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and was directed at the Russian people.
Biden said that he was “not walking anything back” by clarifying the remark. Asked whether it would draw a negative response from Putin, Biden said: “I don’t care what he thinks…. He’s going to do what he’s going to do.”
But he again suggested Putin should not be leading Russia, saying that if he “continues on the course that he’s on, he’s going to become a pariah worldwide and who knows what he becomes at home in terms of support.”
