Joe Biden’s call for regime change in Russia, which likely was a manifestation of his worsening dementia, has caused consternation around the world.
Joe Biden is facing an international backlash from his own allies after calling for regime change in Russia.
Emmanuel Macron led a chorus of disapproval following the US president’s comments, in which he called Vladimir Putin a “butcher” and insisted the Russian premier “cannot remain in power”.
Downing Street said it was for the Russian people to choose their leader, while Mr Biden’s own secretary of state contradicted the president in an attempt to limit the diplomatic fallout.
***
A senior US diplomat said Mr Biden had “made a dangerous situation more dangerous” and threatened to “extend the scope and duration” of the conflict.
***
A Downing Street spokesman said that regime change was not a policy being pursued by Boris Johnson and echoed comments made by Nadhim Zahawi earlier.
***
Rebuking his US counterpart, Mr Macron, the French president, said on Sunday: “I think we must do everything to avoid the situation getting out of hand. I wouldn’t use these kinds of words because I’m still in talks with President Putin.”
***
In the US, there was a recognition that Mr Biden had made a serious error of judgment.
More from the Telegraph:
Joe Biden’s off-the-cuff comments in Warsaw regarding the future leadership of Russia were a shot in the arm for Vladimir Putin.
For one thing, they played right into the false Kremlin narrative of an aggressive Nato, hell-bent on Russia’s destruction.
The “evidence” of Western plots is currently being rolled out across compliant state-sanctioned media outlets.
The problem is, it is true.
Not the bit about plots – any intelligent consumer of information can see that.
No, the truthful bit is that the US president said the words.
Here is a question: who is in charge of U.S. foreign policy? Our Secretary of State, told of Biden’s call to oust Putin, said “…we do not have a strategy of regime change in Russia or anywhere else.” But isn’t that Joe Biden’s decision? Maybe Biden said it on purpose to announce a change in our policy toward Russia. Why doesn’t anyone seem to be considering that possibility?
It will be interesting to see whether any reporter will ask Biden why he said what he did, whether he meant it, whether he wants to retract it, and so on. Perhaps the press will just pass by in silence, thinking that is the best way to prop up a failing administration.
Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.