WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 President Joe Biden said Monday that he would make \u201cno apologies\u201d and wasn\u2019t \u201cwalking anything back\u201d after his weekend comment that Russian President Vladimir Putin \u201ccannot remain in power,\u201d attempting to turn the page on a controversy that\u00a0clouded his recent trip to Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The president also insisted he\u2019s not calling for regime change in Moscow, which would have represented a dramatic shift toward direct confrontation with another nuclear-armed country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was expressing the moral outrage that I felt toward this man,\u201d Biden said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t articulating a policy change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The president\u2019s jarring remark about Putin, which came at the end of a Saturday speech in Warsaw that was intended to rally democracies for a long global struggle against autocracy, drew criticism in the United States and rattled some allies in Western Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, said he believed Biden\u2019s comments Monday were \u201can effective way for the president to move beyond what was an unforced error.\u201d Haass had originally been concerned that aggressive American rhetoric could \u201cmake Putin feel like he had little to lose by hanging tough or even escalating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Biden rejected the idea that his comment could escalate tensions over the war in Ukraine or that it would fuel Russian propaganda about Western aggression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNobody believes … I was talking about taking down Putin,\u201d Biden said, adding that \u201cthe last thing I want to do is engage in a land war or a nuclear war with Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said he was expressing an \u201caspiration\u201d rather than a goal of American foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeople like this shouldn\u2019t be ruling countries. But they do,\u201d he said. \u201cThe fact they do doesn\u2019t mean I can\u2019t express my outrage about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Biden\u2019s remark in Warsaw ricocheted around the globe despite the White House\u2019s swift attempts to clarify that the president only meant that Putin \u201ccannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Monday, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres responded to Biden\u2019s speech by saying that \u201cwe need de-escalation. We need military de-escalation and rhetoric de-escalation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although Biden has frequently touted American unity with European allies since the invasion of Ukraine began, he appears to have caused some discomfort by targeting Putin in Warsaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
French President Emanuel Macron said Sunday he \u201cwouldn\u2019t use those terms, because I continue to speak to President Putin, because what do we want to do collectively? We want to stop the war that Russia launched in Ukraine, without waging war and without escalation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Secretary of State Antony Blinken was forced to continue clarifying Biden\u2019s speech during a trip through the Middle East, where he had intended to focus on solidifying American partnerships as the administration seeks a renewed nuclear agreement with Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking at a news conference in Jerusalem, Blinken said Biden meant that \u201cPutin cannot be empowered to wage war or engage in aggression against Ukraine or anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Biden has previously gone further than expected when speaking about Putin, describing him as a\u00a0\u201cwar criminal\u201d\u00a0at a time when administration officials were saying they were still conducting a review of the matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said then that Biden was \u201cspeaking from the heart\u201d rather than articulating a legal conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Republicans questioned why Biden decided to go off-script in Warsaw when dealing with a combustible conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some said his provocative rhetoric was strange given his otherwise cautious approach, such as refusing to facilitate the transfer of Polish fighter jets to Ukraine\u2019s military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf we\u2019re so worried about provoking him that we couldn\u2019t even send MiGs into Ukraine, how is this any different?\u201d Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, told CNN\u2019s \u201cState of the Union\u201d on Sunday. \u201cIn fact, I would say it\u2019s more provocative than sending MiGs into Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. has been rushing weapons like anti-tank missiles into Ukraine, and is considering providing anti-ship missiles to make it harder for Russia to mount an amphibious offensive along the Black Sea coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains exasperated with the pace of military assistance,\u00a0accusing Western leaders of cowardice\u00a0and repeating his request for tanks and fighter jets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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