The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has moved quickly to clarify the position of the United States after a gaffe by President Joe Biden during a speech in Warsaw, Poland.
In the speech by Biden, he stated when discussing Russian president Vladimir Putin:
"For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power."
The statement, which was unscripted, was widely interpreted as suggesting that the United States wishes to see the overthrow of the Putin regime.
This is regarded by many international analysts as being highly problematic as it could cause Putin to take more extreme steps as he now fears his power is being deliberately undermined by the US and its allies. It could also make a paranoid Putin less likely to make a peace deal to stop the brutal war he started.
Blinken said of Biden's remarks:
"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. As you know, and as you have heard us say repeatedly, we do not have a strategy of regime change in Russia -- or anywhere else, for that matter."
Council of Foreign Relations President Richard Haass spoke online about why the remarks were so inflammatory:
"The fact that it was so off-script in some ways makes it worse. The comments by [Biden] made a difficult situation more difficult and a dangerous situation more dangerous. That is obvious. Less obvious is how to undo the damage, but I suggest his chief aides reach their counterparts & make clear US prepared to deal with this Russian govt."
In the speech prior to the remarks, Biden laid out just how devastating the invasion of Ukraine was, and how it had undermined the global order. He said:
"I'm telling you the truth. This war is not worthy of you the Russian people. Putin can and must end this war. The American people will stand with you and the brave citizens of Ukraine that want peace."
Adding:
"It's nothing less than a direct challenge for the order established since the World War II and it threatens to return to decades of war that ravage Europe before the international rule-based order was put in place. We cannot go back to that." 1
[Based on reporting by: The Daily Mail]
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