Biden clarifies that his moral outrage towards Putin does not indicate a change in U.S. policy.

• On Monday, President Biden stated that his comment about Russian President Putin being unable to remain in power does not represent a change in US policy.
• Biden stated that he did not express moral outrage after meeting with Ukrainian refugees and did not articulate a policy change.
• Biden's explanation aimed to ease tensions among European leaders who were upset by his off-the-cuff remark, which they believed could lead to a broader conflict between Putin and the West.

On Monday, President Joe Biden explained that his previous statement about Russian President Vladimir Putin being unable to remain in power did not represent a change in US policy.

On Monday, two days after surprising his aides and the world with an unexpected remark during a speech in Poland, Biden spoke at the White House. This led to a flurry of headlines stating that he was advocating for a regime change in Russia.

In the face of opposition, Biden remained firm on his initial statement. "I'm not retracting anything," he declared to reporters during a speech that was originally intended to address the budget.

After visiting with Ukrainian refugees, I felt a moral outrage and expressed it.

Biden stated that he did not and does not articulate a policy change.

Putin "shouldn't remain in power, just like bad people shouldn't continue to do bad things," he said. However, "that doesn't mean we have a fundamental policy to take Putin down in any way."

Biden emphasized that his goal was to address the Russian people directly and convey that their behavior was unacceptable, and the solution was to strengthen and maintain NATO's unity.

Biden's explanation may ease tensions among European leaders who were upset by his comment, which they believed could lead to a broader conflict between Putin and the West.

Biden had previously labeled Putin a "murderous dictator" and a "war criminal" during the crisis in Ukraine.

Until Saturday, the president had refrained from advocating for Putin's ouster from power.

A dictator, determined to reconstruct an empire, will never extinguish the people's passion for freedom," Biden stated in a concluding remark during a comprehensive address in Poland. "Ukraine will never be a triumph for Russia, as free individuals refuse to exist in a realm of despair and gloom.

"This man must not continue to hold power, for God's sake," Biden stated.

On Sunday, the White House and Biden's top diplomat attempted to retract the significance of Biden's remark.

Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, stated that the U.S. government does not intend to bring about a regime change in Russia. Instead, Biden's statement referred to Putin's inability to continue waging war in Europe.

Blinken reiterated that the US does not have a strategy of regime change in Russia or any other country, during a trip to Israel.