2 years ago
President Joe Biden on Monday said he was “not walking anything back” after his weekend remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin put the White House on defense.
While visiting Poland on Saturday, Biden said Putin “cannot remain in power.” The comment, which was not included in Biden’s prepared remarks, sparked a White House statement clarifying that Biden was not calling for regime change in Russia.
“I want to make it clear: I wasn’t then, nor am I now, articulating a policy change,” Biden said on Monday. “I was expressing moral outrage, and I make no apologies for it.”
The president spoke to reporters while announcing his budget for fiscal year 2023, and the first question asked dealt with his off-the-cuff statement in Poland. Biden emphasized that his comments reflected his “personal feelings” and had not complicated diplomacy efforts.
“Has it weakened NATO? No, it hasn’t,” Biden said. “NATO has never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever been as strong as it is today. Never.”
English (US)