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Full Stop? US Officials Trying to Assure Washington Has No Strategy to Back Regime Change in Russia

© REUTERS / POOLU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he exits a plane at the Ben Gurion Airport, in Tel Aviv, Israel March 26, 2022
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he exits a plane at the Ben Gurion Airport, in Tel Aviv, Israel March 26, 2022 - Sputnik International, 1920, 27.03.2022
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During his Saturday speech in Poland, US President Joe Biden stated that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power" - causing serious concerns even in the West, with many politicians and media outlets deeming the comments as unnecessarily provocative.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has claimed that Washington has no strategy of backing regime change in Russia.
In an attempt to smooth things over after an inflammatory statement from US President Joe Biden regarding how Vladimir Putin "cannot stay in power", Blinken tried to explain the meaning of the American leader's remarks.
“I think the President, the White House made the point last night that, quite simply, President Putin cannot be empowered to wage war or engage in aggression against Ukraine or anyone else,” Blinken said during his press conference in Jerusalem, where he arrived to meet with the Israeli president.
The secretary of state acknowledged that any government transition is "up to the people of the country in question". His sentiment was also echoed by several other top US officials, among them US envoy to NATO Julianne Smith, who also commented on Biden's remarks on CNN's "State of the Union" program.
"The US does not have a policy of regime change in Russia. Full stop," she said.
Still, Biden's comments have already made waves in the media, stealing headlines and prompting comments from across the world. The Kremlin was quick to note that it is not up to the American president to decide who should remain in power in Russia, with several of the country's lawmakers criticising Biden's recent rhetoric regarding his Russian counterpart.
French President Emmanuel Macron also voiced criticism of Biden's harsh remarks.

"I think that we must rely on facts and do everything so that the situation does not get out of control. I would not use words of this sort, because I continue to hold discussions with President Putin," Macron told France 3, adding that "we shouldn't escalate the situation either by words or actions."

In the United States, many people, including lawmakers, were also dismayed by Biden's “horrendous gaffe.”

“Most people who don’t deal in the lane of foreign relations don’t realize those nine words that he uttered would cause the kind of eruption that they did,” top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee James Risch told CNN. “It’s going to cause a huge problem.”

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during an event at the Royal Castle, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Warsaw, Poland March 26, 2022. Slawomir Kaminski /Agencja Wyborcza.pl via REUTERS - Sputnik International, 1920, 27.03.2022
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'Inconsistent With US Goals': Western Analysts Criticise Biden's Call for Regime Change in Russia
This is not the first time that Biden has appeared to neglect diplomatic protocols and opt for harsh rhetoric instead. On the very day he delivered his speech in Poland, the US president called Putin "a butcher" when speaking to reporters after meeting the Ukrainian refugees. Previously, he slammed the Russian president as "a war criminal" and "a thug."
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