Topline
President Joe Biden told reporters on Sunday he was not calling for a regime change in Russia when he said a day earlier that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power,” a surprising comment the White House quickly tried to clarify Saturday.
President Joe Biden delivers a speech about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at the Royal Castle, … [+]
Key Facts
When a reporter asked if he was calling for Putin’s removal from office, Biden replied “no” as he walked out of church Sunday afternoon, according to Bloomberg pool reporter Courtney Rozen.
“For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Biden said of Putin during a speech Saturday in Warsaw, a comment some observers interpreted as a change in U.S. policy, hours after he called the Russian president a “butcher” for his treatment of civilians during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Key Background
Almost immediately after the president’s speech Saturday, the White House attempted to clarify his declaration by claiming he meant Putin “cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region.” The White House also told reporters Biden “was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change.” Earlier this month, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told CBS the U.S.’s heavy sanctions against Russia are “not about regime change” and it is up to Russian citizens whether Putin remains in power, and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said regime change “is not the policy of the United States.”
Chief Critic
Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, deemed Biden’s initial comment a “horrendous gaffe” in an interview Sunday, adding that he wished the president would “stay on script” in his prepared speeches. Risch said the threat of a regime change was counter to the Biden Administration’s goal of de-escalation in Ukraine.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/masonbissada/2022/03/27/biden-says-he-isnt-calling-for-regime-change-in-russia/