Jakarta –
Over the past week, US President Joe Biden has made a series of impromptu remarks — off the script — that have escalated US-Russia relations to a near “boiling point”.
However, his final words at a so-called “main speech” in Poland on Saturday sounded like he was calling for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be ousted from power. That statement was arguably the hardest hit.
In his address to Polish government officials at the Royal Palace in Warsaw, Biden again warned that the world is in the middle of a decisive conflict between the era of democracy and autocracy.
He promised that NATO would defend “every inch” of its member states’ land.
In addition, Biden pledged continued support for Ukraine, although he stressed that the US military would not engage directly with Russian forces in Ukraine.
The speech was initially confrontational, but measured and aligned with what other US officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken have been saying for months.
But then, before closing his speech with “thank you” and “goodbye”, Biden added, “For God’s sake, this man (Putin) can’t stay in power.”
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“The speech – and the points concerning Russia in polite terms we call absolutely stunning,” said Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
“He (Biden) doesn’t understand that the world is not limited to the US and most of Europe.”
The US then clarified what Biden said.
“What President Biden means is that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power in his neighbours,” said a Biden administration official who asked not to be named. “He didn’t talk about Putin’s rule in Russia, or regime change.”
The US official’s immediate clarification – then echoed by Foreign Minister Blinken – showed that the US understood the dangerous implications of Biden’s statement.
Earlier in the day, Biden referred to Putin as a “butcher”. Last week, he led the diplomatic process of his own government by accusing Putin of committing war crimes.
In both cases, Biden’s remarks sparked criticism and warnings from Moscow that diplomatic relations between the two countries were fractured and could even be broken.
There is a line between condemning the leader of a country – as diplomatic rhetoric when the situation is too hot – and calling for the overthrow of the leader of another country.
The line was even respected by the US and the Soviets at the height of the Cold War. Biden appears to have crossed that line.
“Regime change” is something that strong countries accuse of weaker countries, not something that a nuclear-armed state demands of other nuclear-armed co-owners.
On Sunday (27/03), some US allies even tried to avoid Biden’s remarks.
French President Emmanuel Macron warned that Biden was jeopardizing ceasefire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
“We want to stop the war that Russia started in Ukraine without escalation,” Macron said.
“If this is what we want to achieve, then we should not make the situation worse, either with words or actions.”
In Washington, Congressional leaders (US parliament) also expressed concern. Idaho Republican congressman Jim Risch called Biden’s remarks a “terrible fallacy”.
“Gosh, I hope they can make sure he (Biden) keeps talking according to the script,” said Risch.
“Every time you say what Biden said, suggest regime change, it’s going to be a big problem.”
“This administration has done everything possible to stop the escalation. There is no way to exacerbate the situation except to call for regime change.”
Biden’s track record of spontaneous speeches
Getty Images Biden’s remarks sometimes frustrated Obama when Biden was still vice president.
Biden is known to tend to make spontaneous statements that get him in difficult situations.
Those impromptu statements have thwarted his bid for the presidency before, also at times frustrated President Obama when Biden was vice president.
However, this statement is not entirely coincidental. These spontaneous statements conveyed Biden’s heart, even though his mind, including those of those around him, would have preferred Biden to hold back his words.
Tom Nichols of The Atlantic said it was sometimes a political force that allowed Biden to touch the emotions of the American people. But at a critical time like this, poor choice of words can have consequences, making such statements a weakness.
“It’s hard to blame Biden for being temperamental after he spoke to people who are suffering from Putin’s barbarity,” Nichols wrote.
“But the words of every world leader are very important at this time, let alone the statements of the US President.”
Biden may believe that US-Russia relations have been damaged beyond repair during Putin’s time in power. However, stating that explicitly could make the US goal of ending the war in Ukraine while preserving its territorial integrity more difficult.
The war in Ukraine has not gone the way Putin would have liked so far. His troops were caught in a fierce battle and the death toll continued to grow.
The Russian economy is under pressure under the weight of economic sanctions. Russia is increasingly alienated from the outside world.
The situation has the potential to lead to the de-escalation that the US and its allies hope for, but it could also make Putin more desperate.
If Putin believes his power is at stake, and believes the US is not secretly targeting that as his goal, his next steps may not lead to peace.
Watch the video ‘Biden Asked by Journalists about Putin: He’s a Butcher’:
(ita / ita)
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