Biden's Russian regime change ‘gaffe’ worries allies despite back-pedalling

The US president said his Russian counterpart 'cannot remain power', only for the White House to insist that was not a call for regime change

US President Joe Biden meets Ukrainian refugees at the PGE Narodowy Stadium in Warsaw during a visit to Poland. AP

Poland has taken in more than 2.2 million refugees who fled Ukraine after Russian forces entered on February 24, 2022. Mr Biden also met humanitarian aid workers at the stadium. AP

Mr Biden eats pizza as he talks to members of the 82nd Airborne Division at the G2A Arena in Jasionka, Poland. AP

The US president speaks with Polish President Andrzej Duda at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw. AP

President Duda welcomes Mr Biden outside the Presidential Palace. Reuters

Mr Biden inspects a guard of honour with Mr Duda at the Presidential Palace. AP

With Polish officials lobbying for humanitarian help, Mr Biden has said the US will offer $1 billion in relief for people affected by the war in Ukraine. AP

Mr Biden talks with José Andrés, of the Think Food Group, at PGE Narodowy Stadium. AP

Russia's attack on Ukraine, and Belarus's ever closer ties to the Kremlin, have raised alarm bells in Moscow's former sphere of influence. AP

Mr Biden, flanked by the mayor of Warsaw Rafal Trzaskowski and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, hugs a woman as he visits Ukrainian refugees. Reuters

Mr Biden talks to children of Ukrainian refugees. Reuters

Mr Biden delivers a speech at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. AP

People listen as the US president delivers his speech about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. AP

Mr Biden said stopping the war in Ukraine was 'the task of our time'. AP

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President Joe Biden’s apparent call for his Russian counterpart to be removed from power has created a stir in US policy circles and alarm among its allies, although the White House downplayed the remarks.

At the end of his speech from Warsaw on Saturday, Mr Biden said of Russian President Vladimir Putin: “For God's sake, this man cannot remain power.”

The remark caused concern within the US political establishment and America’s Nato allies as they try to contain the war in Ukraine and present a united front.

The White House clarified within moments that Mr Biden was not in fact advocating change, and the president replied “no” to reporters who asked if that was what he meant.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke to reporters to clarify the president’s point.

“I think the president, the White House, made the point last night that, quite simply, President Putin cannot be empowered to wage war or engage in aggression against Ukraine or anyone else,” Mr Blinken said.

“As you know, and as you’ve heard us say repeatedly, we do not have a strategy of regime change in Russia, or anywhere else for that matter.”

But, the clarifications did not entirely assuage allies' fears and drew a response from Moscow.

“That's not for Biden to decide,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters. “The president of Russia is elected by Russians.”

“This speech – and the passages which concern Russia – is astounding, to use polite words,” Mr Peskov said. “He doesn't understand that the world is not limited to the United States and most of Europe.”

France’s President Emmanuel Macron said such language could “escalate” a conflict the US and its Nato allies have sought at all costs to contain, and undercut Western efforts to help Ukrainians.

“I wouldn’t use those terms, because I continue to speak to President Putin, because what do we want to do collectively?” he said. “We want to stop the war that Russia launched in Ukraine, without waging war and without escalation.”

A woman walks past a poster depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin holding his own body, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Sofia, Bulgaria. Reuters

A man walks past a residential area destroyed by a rocket strike in Kyiv. Getty Images

Ukraine refugees wait in the train station in Przemysl, near the Polish-Ukrainian border. More than 3.8 million have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion. AFP

Ukrainian civilians receive weapons training at a shooting range in Brno, Czech Republic. EPA

A Ukrainian special police officer patrols near a destroyed building during the night curfew in Kharkiv. AP Photo

A Ukrainian serviceman walks past the wreck of a Russian tank in Lukyanivka, Kyiv. Reuters

Ukrainian Air Force jets take part in a defence drill over an unidentified location. Reuters

Valentina Demura, 70, near the ruins of her home in apartment block in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol. Reuters

A message of support for Ukraine at the 94th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Reuters

The widow of sergeant Kostiantyn Deriuhin stands at her husband's grave after his funeral at Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine. Reuters

A walk amid the ruins after a Russian attack in Byshiv on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

A soldier of the Ukrainian territorial defence forces gives a salute during a break in digging a foxhole at Kalynivka, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

A bust adorned with a headband in the colours of the Ukraine flag at a checkpoint in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

The Cheremosh Folk Song and Dance Ensemble performs in the streets of the Old Town in Lviv, Ukraine. Getty

Eugene Grigorash says goodbye to his wife Victoria Grigorash and their seven-month-old son Roman as their bus leaves Lviv on its way to Poland. Getty

People head for an air raid shelter after sirens sound across Lviv in Ukraine. Getty

A pro-Ukraine rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. EPA

The aftermath of an air strike on the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. AFP

A protester weeps as she takes part in a 'mothers' march' for Ukraine, in New York. AFP

Local people share a basement of a historical building which is being used as a bomb shelter during an air raid warning in Lviv. EPA

US President Joe Biden kisses a child while meeting refugees of Russia's war with Ukraine at PGE Narodowy Stadium in Warsaw, Poland. AFP

A Ukrainian soldier stands guard at Independence Square in Kyiv. AFP

Municipal employees cover the city's monuments with sand bags to protect them from strikes in Kharkiv. AFP

Misha, 5, who lost his mother some weeks ago and got injured during a Russian strike, is helped by his grandfather to dress up in the basement of a hospital in Mykolaiv. AFP

Ukrainian refugees rest in the ticket hall of Przemysl Glowny train station. Reuters

A woman walks past destroyed houses in the village of Krasylivka outside Kyiv. Reuters

A man climbs up a ladder to examine his destroyed house in the village of Krasylivka outside Kyiv. Reuters

Damage inside an Orthodox Church building in Yasnohorodka, on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP

A Ukrainian soldier at a psychiatric hospital damaged by a Russian bombing, in Mykolaiv. AP

Displaced people from Dnipro arrive in Lviv, in western Ukraine. Millions are internally displaced. Getty Images

A destroyed school in Kharkiv. AFP

A Ukrainian fighter on the front line in the north Kyiv region. Reuters

A resident walks past blazing buildings and vehicles after a Russian artillery strike in Kharkiv. AFP

Black smoke billows from a fuel depot near Kyiv that was used by the Ukrainian Army before it was hit by during a Russian strike. AP

Masha, 26, checks her mobile phone at an air raid shelter inside a Kyiv metro station. Reuters

A market on fire in Kharkiv after a Russian attack. AP

People try to recover items from a shop set on fire during a Russian attack in Kharkiv. AP

Nastya Kuzyk, 20, who was injured in an attack on Chernihiv, is comforted by her mother Svitlana, 50, as she recovers in a Kyiv hospital. AP

In Berlin, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday that neither Nato nor Mr Biden sought regime change in Russia.

During an appearance on ARD television, Mr Scholz also tried to clarify the US position.

“We both agree completely that regime change is not an object and aim of policy that we pursue together,” the chancellor said.

The UK too distanced itself from Mr Biden's remarks, saying that the decision over who leads Russia is “up to the Russian people".

Mr Biden has enjoyed rare bipartisan support in Washington for his handling of the Ukraine crisis so far, but some Republicans chided him for his comments.

Senior Republican Senator Jim Risch said the president had given “a good speech” other than the “horrendous gaffe right at the end of it".

“There's not a whole lot more you can do to escalate than to call for regime change,” he told CNN.

“My gosh, I wish they would keep him on script.”

Senator Rob Portman told NBC that Mr Biden’s comment “plays into the hands of the Russian propagandists and plays into the hands of Vladimir Putin”.

Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia, said on Twitter that Mr Biden's words needed to be read with nuance.

“Biden expressed what billions around the world and millions inside Russia also believe. He did not say that the US should remove him from power. There is a difference.”

There has been generally favourable coverage of the president’s Europe visit, which included meeting US soldiers on the borders of Ukraine as well as refugees crossing the border into Poland.

However, it is not the first gaffe from the American leader.

During a news conference in Brussels on Thursday, he said the US would respond “in kind” if Mr Putin used chemical weapons in Ukraine.

The next day, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the president meant that “we’ll respond accordingly”, not that the US would use chemical weapons of its own.

And then, while speaking to members of the 82nd Airborne Division recently sent to Poland, Mr Biden seemed to suggest they would be going to Ukraine.

Speaking about the bravery of Ukrainians, Mr Biden said: “Look at how they’re stepping up. And you’re going to see when you’re there.”

Reporting by agencies