WASHINGTON — President Biden on Monday stood by means of his remark that Vladimir V. Putin will have to now not stay president of Russia, however mentioned it was once a non-public expression of concern and now not a transformation in American coverage aimed toward in the hunt for to take away Mr. Putin from place of work.
“I used to be expressing the ethical outrage I felt towards this guy,” Mr. Biden instructed newshounds, rejecting complaint that he misspoke. He mentioned no person will have to have interpreted his feedback as calling for Mr. Putin’s ouster.
“It’s ridiculous,” he mentioned, obviously annoyed on the questions all over an tournament wherein he unveiled his 2023 finances. “No person believes I used to be speaking about taking down Putin. No person believes that.”
“I used to be expressing my outrage that he shouldn’t stay in energy,” he mentioned, “identical to that dangerous folks shouldn’t proceed to do dangerous issues.”
The president’s remarks got here two days after he declared all over a speech in Warsaw: “For God’s sake, this guy can not stay in energy,” an ad-libbed remark on the finish of his three-day diplomatic blitz in Europe.
It took simply mins for the White Area to again clear of Mr. Biden’s feedback in Warsaw that night time. Journalists had simply loaded buses following his speech when an management legit despatched an e-mail denying that the president was once officially advocating Mr. Putin’s elimination.
On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken instructed newshounds in Jerusalem that “we don’t have a method of regime alternate in Russia or any place else, for that subject.”
Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, mentioned the Kremlin would “proceed to intently track” any statements made by means of Biden.
In his first prolonged feedback at the subject, Mr. Biden insisted Monday that he had now not “walked again” his remark.
“The very last thing I need to do is interact in a land battle or a nuclear battle with Russia,” Mr. Biden mentioned. “I used to be expressing my outrage on the conduct of this guy. It’s outrageous. It’s outrageous. It’s extra an aspiration than anything else. He should not be in energy. Other folks like this shouldn’t be ruling international locations, however the reality they do doesn’t imply I will’t specific my outrage.”
