President Biden’s comment that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power” could embolden the Russian leader’s aggression toward NATO allies.
“Some analysts warned that the U.S. president’s remark could strengthen Mr. Putin’s hand at home, causing Russians to rally around him and an invasion they may not otherwise support,” the Wall Street Journal said about Putin’s domestic credibility and power.
Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, seemed to agree with the analysis. Posting on Twitter Saturday, Haass said Biden has “made a difficult situation more difficult and a dangerous situation more dangerous.”
“That is obvious,” he continued. “Less obvious is how to undo the damage, but I suggest his chief aides reach their counterparts & make clear US prepared to deal with this Russian govt.”
Former CIA Director David Petraeus also told ABC News on Sunday that Biden’s comments will cause challenges down the road for the administration and perhaps NATO.
“It reminds us that message discipline has its virtues,” he said about Biden’s comment. “It was reportedly very clearly an unscripted moment. … And, you know, it will cause some challenges down the road.”
“I wouldn’t use those terms, because I continue to speak to President Putin, because what do we want to do collectively?” Macron said. “We want to stop the war that Russia launched in Ukraine, without waging war and without escalation.”
Scholz echoed Macron’s fears. “We both agree completely that regime change is not an object and aim of policy that we pursue together.”
Though world leaders helped Biden retract the comment, the Journal noted Biden’s remark was a steep escalation, a move the White House tried to fix:
Still his remark—which Moscow dismissed—marked an escalation in Mr. Biden’s verbal attacks on the Russian president, after previously calling him a butcher and war criminal. It is also the latest example of his penchant for going off script, overshadowing his intended message and prompting White House aides to clarify his words.
Biden’s potential emboldening of Putin comes as Americans greatly oppose how the American president is handling the Ukraine war.
Only 12 percent of Americans have “a great deal of confidence” in Biden’s ability to deescalate the war, a Sunday NBC News poll revealed. The same poll also showed 71 percent of Americans have low confidence in Biden’s ability to deal with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.