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European powers have distanced themselves from US President Joe Biden’s off-message remark that Russian leader Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power”.
Although US officials swiftly denied any change in policy, Mr Biden’s apparent call for regime change jolted the unity of the western alliance and led to fears of an escalation in the war in Ukraine.
His comments came at the end of a five-day diplomatic trip to Europe and caused disquiet even among politicians and allies who have largely supported his handling of the crisis.
Britain said on Monday that it was up to the Russian people to decide who should govern them but suggested they might be “pretty fed up” with Mr Putin because of the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
Speaking for the government on morning television, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi latched on to an explanation offered by Mr Biden’s allies that he was talking about the Russian president’s attempt to gain power over Ukraine.
“I think President Biden is right to say that Putin has no place in the Ukraine,” Mr Zahawi said. “They have to make sure that they withdraw from Ukraine because it is an illegal invasion.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said he would not use the language employed by Mr Biden and said it could make it harder to resolve a conflict in which Nato allies are determined not to intervene directly.
Although western powers have praised anti-war protesters in Russia, and described sanctions as being designed to pressure Mr Putin into calling off the invasion, they have stopped short of suggesting that this should culminate in his removal from the Kremlin.
But Mr Biden ended his speech in Warsaw by saying: “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told ARD television on Sunday that Nato was not seeking to topple Mr Putin.
“We both agree completely that regime change is not an object and aim of policy that we pursue together,” said Mr Scholz.
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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
Senior US officials sought to portray Mr Biden as condemning the invasion of Ukraine and speaking off the cuff after witnessing the humanitarian fallout of the war on his visit to Poland.
“I think that was a principled human reaction to the stories that he had heard that day,” the US ambassador to Nato, Julianne Smith. told CNN.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters that the question of Mr Putin’s future was “not for Biden to decide”.
Mr Biden separately raised eyebrows by telling US troops in Poland that they would see the bravery of the people of Ukraine “when you’re there”, as though suggesting they were being sent to the country.
US officials also clarified that the Pentagon would not use chemical weapons after Mr Biden said Washington would “respond in kind” to any use of such weapons by Russia against Ukraine.
