Moral outrage behind Putin comments: Biden
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US President Joe Biden says his remark in Warsaw that Russian President Vladimir Putin should be removed from power reflected his own moral outrage, not an administration policy shift.
“I wasn’t then nor am I now articulating a policy change,” he told reporters at the White House, noting that prior to the remark, made in a speech on Saturday, he had visited with families displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I was expressing moral outrage that I felt, and I make no apologies.”
At the end of the speech in the Polish capital, Biden added an unscripted line, saying Putin “cannot remain in power”.
Administration officials rushed to clarify afterwards that the White House was not advocating for regime change in Russia.
Biden added on Monday he was “not walking anything back” by clarifying the remark.
Asked whether the remark would spur 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 Biden once again suggested Putin should not be leading Russia.
If Putin “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”, Biden said.
Reuters