NATO allies distance themselves from Biden's comment that Putin must not 'remain in power'


Key NATO allies spoke up this weekend to distance themselves from what many interpreted as President Biden's call for regime change in Russia.
During a speech in Warsaw, Poland, on Saturday, Biden said of Russian President Vladimir Putin, "For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power."
The White House quickly walked back the ad-libbed statement, claiming that Biden's "point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region" and that Biden "was not discussing Putin's power in Russia or regime change."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who speaks frequently with Putin, said Saturday that Biden had spoken too forcefully, The Wall Street Journal reported. "I wouldn't use this type of wording because I continue to hold discussions with President Putin," Macron said, adding that "the objective" is "to stop the war," not to depose Putin.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also weighed in during a Sunday appearance on German television. Regime change "is not the aim of NATO, and also not that of the American president," Scholz said. "We both agree completely that regime change is not an object and aim of policy that we pursue together."
In the United Kingdom, cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi said Sunday that it is up to "the Russian people to decide how they are governed," The Guardian reported.
"The Russian people, I think, are pretty fed up ... I think the Russian people will decide the fate of Putin and his cronies," added Zahawi, the U.K.'s education secretary.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
How to travel with your dog
The Week Recommends These tips will help both of you have a great time
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
'Congress could help by providing federal protections'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Musk vows DOGE pullback as Tesla profits plunge
Speed Read The Tesla SEO says he will soon step back from government matters to devote more time to the company
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Is the 'coalition of the willing' going to work?
Today's Big Question PM's proposal for UK/French-led peacekeeping force in Ukraine provokes 'hostility' in Moscow and 'derision' in Washington
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
Ukraine: where do Trump's loyalties really lie?
Today's Big Question 'Extraordinary pivot' by US president – driven by personal, ideological and strategic factors – has 'upended decades of hawkish foreign policy toward Russia'
By Elliott Goat, The Week UK
-
What will Trump-Putin Ukraine peace deal look like?
Today's Big Question US president 'blindsides' European and UK leaders, indicating Ukraine must concede seized territory and forget about Nato membership
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
Ukraine's disappearing army
Under the Radar Every day unwilling conscripts and disillusioned veterans are fleeing the front
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Cuba's mercenaries fighting against Ukraine
The Explainer Young men lured by high salaries and Russian citizenship to enlist for a year are now trapped on front lines of war indefinitely
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
Ukraine-Russia: are both sides readying for nuclear war?
Today's Big Question Putin changes doctrine to lower threshold for atomic weapons after Ukraine strikes with Western missiles
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
What would happen if Russia declared war on Nato?
In depth Response to an attack on UK or other Western allies would be 'overwhelming'
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK
-
Are Ukraine's F-16 fighter jets too little too late?
Today's Big Question US-made aircraft are 'significant improvement' on Soviet-era weaponry but long delay and lack of trained pilots could undo advantage against Russia
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK