Sunday, March 27, 2022
Speaking at the Royal Castle, Warsaw, Poland yesterday, President of the United States Joe Biden said President of Russia Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power” in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine. He continued: “In this battle we need to be clear-eyed. This battle will not be won in days, or months, either”.
This marked a departure from previous statements from the United States. White House officials subsequently sought to ameliorate Biden’s remarks: “The President’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change,” an administration source told Fox News.
Nevertheless, Biden’s speech included other warnings for Russia. “Don’t even think about moving on one single inch of NATO territory,” he said. “We have a sacred obligation under Article Five [of the NATO founding treaty] to defend each and every inch of NATO territory with the full force of our collective power.”
Addressing the Russian people, Biden said: “This is not the future you deserve for your families and children” and “I’m telling you the truth, this war is not worthy of you, the Russian people.” To the people of Ukraine, he said: “we stand with you. Period.”
Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov responded to Biden’s speech by saying: “This is not to be decided by Mr. Biden. It should only be a choice of the people of the Russian Federation.”