U.S. President Joe Biden has sought to clarify his call for the removal of Vladimir Putin, saying he wasn¡¯t seeking regime change after European allies raised concern and critics said he was further inflaming tension with Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron and the U.K. government distanced themselves from Biden¡¯s stunning comment, which capped a speech in Warsaw to rally support for Ukraine against Russia. One administration official suggested Biden was influenced by stories of suffering he heard from Ukrainian refugees.
With a poll taken before Biden¡¯s European trip saying that some 70% of Americans have limited or little confidence in his handling of the Ukraine war, the stakes were already high. After Saturday¡¯s speech, Biden faced questions about the wisdom of going off-script and aides fanned out to say that the U.S. hasn¡¯t adopted a policy of seeking regime change.
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