Russia on Monday expressed “reason for concern” over Biden’s statement. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the US president’s remarks would continue to be closely monitored. On Saturday, he announced that the US would not decide on the Russian president, but on the Russian people. In addition to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s Biden team, the president himself was apparently trying to limit the damage. On Sunday night, Biden denied a US reporter’s explicit request as to whether he had called for regime change.
But the words are out now, overshadowing the remainder of the 27-minute speech in which Biden focused on the need to uphold Western values and democracy. Some observers are already giving the words historic character – Politico, for example, has identified the “most aggressive speech by an American president on Russia since Ronald Reagan at the height of the Cold War”.
Biden: Didn’t Ask for a Power Change
US President Joe Biden denied calling for the overthrow of Russian President Vladimir Putin during his speech in Warsaw about the war in Ukraine.
tip with consequences
The 79-year-old US president had already turned the rhetorical escalation screw in recent weeks. He described the Russian president as a “butcher” and “war criminal”, but basically stuck to the line that sanctions, diplomatic means and preventing an expansion of military activity – in particular a NATO involvement – are the main premise.
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Ukraine War: How Powerless Is the West?
But with the last words of his speech in Warsaw, Biden gave the impression briefly – before the corresponding denials from his own home – that the US might want to herald an extremely complicated and dangerous new phase of the conflict. Despite the fact that Putin’s future is undoubtedly a fundamental political issue, the implications of this for the rest of the war would have been far-reaching.
Reports: Deviations from the speech manuscript
It’s even more risqué that, according to consistent media reports, Biden said the phrase spontaneously. Biden deviated from his official speech script. Then, right after the speech, Biden’s team came out to make it clear that the US is not seeking regime change in Russia. The crux: ambiguous statements and frankly answered questions from journalists have repeatedly raised the dust on the US Democrat’s decades-long political career.
Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein Biden during symbolically charged speech
In the Ukraine crisis alone, Biden has caused irritation on several occasions in this regard. For example, the suggestion that a “small incursion” by Russia into Ukraine would not have such serious consequences. At a recent NATO meeting, Biden warned Russia against using chemical weapons. “The type of response” from NATO “will depend on the type of operation”. In retrospect, security adviser Jack Sullivan had to make it clear at a news conference in light of the openly worded response that NATO would under no circumstances respond with the same means if chemical weapons were used.
cold allies
The fact that the US president has to be repeatedly corrected in this way within his own ranks should not please the allies. E: In view of the delicate situation, clear communication and unity in the West are essential, according to the basic tenor of the press. French President Emmanuel Macron’s reaction indicated that Biden had taken European allies by surprise with his final sentence. He distanced himself from Biden’s words and emphasized that an escalation of words in the conflict must be avoided.
One thing is clear: with the topic of regime change, Biden has entered difficult ground, if only from a historical perspective. Observers commented that the statement could easily serve as a model for Russian propaganda – after all, Russia had tried from the beginning to present the attack on Ukraine as self-defense. Biden’s announcement can now serve as a fresh hook for further aggression and a permanent justification. That will make negotiating with Putin even more difficult, according to the Wall Street Journal.