White House clarifies Biden's comments on Putin staying in power

The White House clarified statements made by US President Joe Biden in a speech at the end of his two-day visit to Poland about the future of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"For God's sake, this man can't stay in power," Biden said in a speech in Warsaw on Saturday, without mentioning the Russian president by name, although he did so at several other points during his speech.

Shortly thereafter, a senior White House official sought to make clear that the US president's comments were not a direct call for Putin's ouster.

"The president's view was that Putin could not be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region," the official said.

He wasn't discussing Putin's power in Russia, or regime change."

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news