Biden says Putin 'cannot remain in power' in remarks the White House says weren't a threat

On Saturday, while delivering a speech in Poland, attempting to rally NATO allies to stand against the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden called for regime change in Russia.

“A dictator, bent on rebuilding an empire, will never erase the people’s love for liberty, Biden said of his Russian counterpart, Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia, for free people refuse to live in a world of hopelessness and darkness.”

“For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Biden said.

Throughout the crisis in Ukraine, Biden has lobbed insults at Putin, calling him a “murderous dictator” and a “war criminal,” but has never previously called for Putin’s removal from power unlike other prominent politicians.

A White House official has since attempted to walk-back the president’s statements saying that Biden “was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change, but was instead insisting that Putin “cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors in the region,” CNBC reported.