Saturday, March 26, 2022
Joe Biden calls on Russians to overthrow Putin
Joe Biden calls on Russians to overthrow Putin
RP ONLINE - 1 hour ago
Warsaw. US President Joe Biden has called in Poland for the removal of Russian President Vladimir Putin. "For God's sake, this man cannot stay in power," he said on Saturday at the end of his visit to Warsaw.
Joe Biden during his closing speech in Warsaw.
Biden has appealed to the people of Russia to distance themselves from the Ukraine war. "You, the Russian people, are not our enemy." But the Russian attacks on civilians in Ukraine, which have forced millions to flee, are not befitting of a great nation.
"That's not who you are, that's not the future you deserve for your family," Biden said. "This war is not worthy of you." He recalled that 200,000 Russians had already left their homeland.
In the conflict with Russia, according to Biden, the world must prepare for a "long struggle". During his visit to Poland, Biden delivered a combative speech at the Royal Castle in Warsaw on Saturday evening, once again blaming Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin personally for the devastation of the war in Ukraine. It is about a struggle between "democracy and autocracy". Biden emphatically assured Ukraine of US support: "We are on your side."
Biden also issued strong warnings against further Russian advances. Russia should "not even think about penetrating an inch into NATO territory". Russia has already "strangled democracy" and is trying to do the same elsewhere. But the Russian population is "not our enemy".
Biden arrived in Poland on Friday for a two-day visit after attending several Western allies' summits in Brussels over the Ukraine war. In Warsaw he also met Ukrainian refugees. When a journalist asked him what he thought of Putin given the fate of the refugees, Biden said, "He's a butcher." could. Biden had previously called Putin a "war criminal."