Evening Standard:Kremlin calls Biden’s comments on Vladimir Putin ‘alarming’

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The Kremlin has called Joe Biden’s recent comments on Russian President Vladimir Putin “alarming”.

© ASSOCIATED PRESS President Joe Biden delivers a speech about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at the Royal Castle, Saturday, March 26, 2022, in Warsaw. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The US President was forced to deny he was calling for a regime change in Russia after saying Mr Putin “cannot remain in power” during a speech he made in Warsaw on Saturday.

When questioned about the remark on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “This is a statement that is certainly alarming.”

“We will continue to track the statements of the U.S. president in the most attentive way,” Peskov told reporters.

Mr Biden has since backtracked, and when he was asked by a reporter in Washington the following day whether he was seeking a regime change, the US President replied: “No.”

US officials have tried to play down Mr Biden’s words, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying the Biden administration has “repeatedly” said it does “not have a strategy of regime change in Russia”.

“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,” he said on Sunday during a visit to Jerusalem.

The White House later released a statement to clarify Mr Biden’s words.

It said “the president’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbours or the region”.

Other Western allies have also tried to distance themselves away from calling for a regime change.

The EU’s chief diplomat Josef Borrell said the bloc was “not after a regime change, that is something for Russian citizens to decide”.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told the Sunday Telegraph that sanctions could be lifted if Putin removed his troops from Ukraine and pledged “no further aggression”.

A next round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are due to take place in Turkey on Monday.

Ahead of the meeting, Ukraine’s president Volodymr Zelensky has said that he is considering terms such as adopting a neutral status in exchange for peace.

Speaking to Russian journalists on Sunday, he said: “Security guarantees and neutrality, non-nuclear status of our state – we are ready to go for it. This is the most important point.”

Mr Zelensky ruled out trying to regain control of Russia-held territory by facing, amid concerns it would escalate the conflict.

Over the weekend, the Russian-backed separatist state of Luhansk announced plans to hold a referendum on joining Russia.

Kremlin calls Biden’s comments on Vladimir Putin ‘alarming’ (msn.com)