Following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s soldiers, President Biden has reversed his call for regime change in Russia.
On Sunday, as he was leaving Holy Trinity Church in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C., a reporter asked the president a question.
‘Do you want Putin gone, Mr. President?’ the reporter inquired. They said, ‘Mr. President, were you pushing for regime change?’ Biden turned to the camera and exclaimed, “No!” before getting into his motorcade.
‘For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,’ Biden stated less than 24 hours before, in a shocking apparent appeal for regime change in Moscow.
Biden made the announcement after delivering an impassioned speech from Poland.
President Emmanuel Macron of France warned against an escalation ‘in words and action’ on Sunday, just hours after Vice President Joe Biden called Putin a ‘butcher’ who ‘cannot remain in power.’
Macron, a strong US friend who has spoken with Putin repeatedly since the invasion, advised the West not to ‘escalate in words or actions’ or risk jeopardizing crucial humanitarian initiatives, such as hopes of evacuating the damaged Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
During an interview with French television France 3, Macron warned against escalation in the conflict, saying that he is focused on brokering a peace settlement between Kyiv and Moscow and a diplomatic conclusion to the conflict.
Macron stated on Sunday, “I wouldn’t use this type of terminology since I continue to maintain negotiations with President Putin.” ‘Our goal is to bring an end to the war that Russia has started in Ukraine without escalation.’