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Biden says remark on Putin’s power was about ‘moral outrage’
The president also insisted he’s not calling for regime change in Moscow, which would have represented a dramatic shift toward direct confrontation with another nuclear-armed country
US President Joe Biden on Monday said he was “expressing moral outrage”, not articulating a “policy shift” after his remark that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot stay in power” generated criticism from allies abroad and observers at home.
“I am not walking anything back. I was expressing the moral outrage I felt toward the way Putin is dealing, the actions of this man, just the brutality of it,” Biden said at a press conference on Monday. “But I want to make it clear: I wasn’t then, nor am I now, articulating a policy change. I was expressing the moral outrage that I feel, and I make no apologies for it.”
He was announcing the highlights of the administration’s annual budget at the White House. When asked if it complicated the diplomacy of the moment, Biden said what complicated diplomacy were Putin’s escalatory efforts to “continue to engage in carnage”.
Biden, however, said that he did not think that Putin should remain in power, “just like bad people shouldn’t continue to do bad things”. He warned that if Putin remained on his current course, he would become a “pariah worldwide”, and then who knew what would become of his support at home. “But it doesn’t mean we have a fundamental policy to do anything to take Putin down in any way.”
Given the concerns expressed by allies in Europe that his statement could lead to an escalation, Biden suggested on his own that he might as well speak to it and rejected the contention that he was escalating the situation. He also rejected the premise that this could weaken Nato.
“Nato has never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever been as strong as it is today. Never,” he said.
When asked how someone with his foreign policy experience could miss the fact that what he claims were his personal views would be read as a statement of US policy, Biden said, “Because it is ridiculous. Nobody believes I was talking about taking down Putin.”
“The last thing I want to do is engage in a land war or a nuclear war with Russia. That’s not part of it. I was expressing my outrage at the behaviour of this man. It’s outrageous... And it’s more an aspiration than anything. He shouldn’t be in power,” he added.
Asked whether Putin could use his statement to escalate, Biden said that the Russian leader’s recent behaviour had shown he was going to do what he thought he should do.
“He is not affected by anybody else, including, unfortunately, apparently his own advisers. And the idea that he is going to do something outrageous because I called him for what he was and what he’s doing, I think is just not rational,” Biden said.
