Even when Biden’s words exploded around the world, the White House tried to make it clear immediately after Biden’s speech in Poland that he was not calling for a new government in Russia.
A White House official said Biden “did not discuss Putin’s rule in Russia or regime change.”  The official, who did not want to be named, spoke on condition of anonymity, saying Biden was “not allowed Putin to exercise power over his neighbors or the region.”
The White House declined to comment on whether Biden’s statement about Putin was part of his prepared statements.
“In the name of God, this man can not stay in power,” Biden said at the end of his speech in the Polish capital, which marked a milestone in a four-day trip to Europe.
Biden has often spoken out about ensuring that the Kremlin invasion, now in its second month, would be a “strategic failure” for Putin, and has described the Russian leader as a “war criminal.”  But until his remarks in Warsaw, the American leader had not turned to Putin to suggest that he not rule Russia.  Earlier Saturday, shortly after meeting with Ukrainian refugees, Biden called Putin a “butcher.”
Biden also used his speech to defend NATO’s liberal democracy and military alliance, and said Europe needed to prepare for a long battle against Russian aggression.
Earlier in the day, as Biden met with Ukrainian refugees, Russia continued to pound cities across Ukraine.  Explosions erupted in Lviv, Ukraine’s closest major city to Poland and a destination for internally displaced people who have largely escaped major attacks.
Biden’s images of reassuring refugees and calling for unity in the West contrast with the dramatic scenes of flames and black smoke erupting so close to the Polish border – another frightening moment of the war.
In what was charged by the White House as the keynote speaker, Biden spoke inside the Royal Castle, one of Warsaw’s landmarks that suffered severe damage during World War II.
He borrowed the words of Polish-born Pope John Paul II and cited anti-communist Polish dissident and former president Lech Walesa as he warned that Putin’s invasion of Ukraine threatened to bring “decades of war”.
“In this battle we must be clear. This battle will not be won in days or months,” Biden said.
The crowd of about 1,000 included some of the Ukrainian refugees who have taken refuge in Poland and elsewhere amid the violent invasion.
“We have to commit now, to be this fight for a long time,” Biden said.
After meeting with refugees at the National Stadium, Biden admired their spirit and determination after the deadly invasion of Russia, as he hugged mothers and children and promised continued support from Western powers.
Biden listened intently as the children described the dangerous flight from neighboring Ukraine to their parents.  Smiling broadly, he picked up a young girl in a pink coat and told her she reminded him of his granddaughters.
The president held hands with his parents and hugged them during a stop at the football stadium where the refugees are going to get a Polish identification number that gives them access to social services such as healthcare and schools.
Some of the women and children told Biden that they had fled without their husbands and fathers, men of fighting age who had to be left behind to help resist Putin’s forces.
“What I am always amazed at is the depth and power of the human spirit,” Biden told reporters after talks with refugees at the stadium, which recently served as an on-site hospital for COVID-19 patients.  “Each of these children said something that resulted: ‘Say a prayer for my dad or grandpa or my brother fighting out there.’
The president tried to use the last hours of his European tour to reassure Poland that the United States would defend itself against Russian attacks, as he acknowledged that NATO’s ally had borne the brunt of the refugee crisis from the war.
“Your freedom is ours,” Biden told Polish President Andrei Duda earlier, echoing one of the country’s unofficial mottos.
More than 3.7 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the war and more than 2.2 million Ukrainians have moved to Poland, although it is unclear how many have remained and how many have left for other countries.  Earlier this week, the United States announced it would accept up to 100,000 refugees, and Biden told Duda that he understood that Poland “had taken on a great deal of responsibility, but NATO’s should be responsible for everything.”
Biden called NATO’s “collective defense” agreement a “sacred commitment” and said the unity of the Western military alliance was paramount.
“I am convinced that Vladimir Putin was based on the division of NATO,” Biden said.  “But he did not succeed. We have all stayed together.”
European security is facing its most serious test since World War II.  Western leaders last week consulted on emergency plans in the event of an escalation of the conflict.  The invasion shook NATO from any complacency it might feel and cast a dark shadow over Europe.
Warsaw, a city of nearly 1.8 million people, has grown by about 17% in one month as refugees have flocked in huge numbers seeking refuge.
While the Poles have so far welcomed the Ukrainians, the humanitarian effort is largely the work of volunteers.  Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski has warned that it is unsustainable and that social services are bending under pressure.
The US is sending money and supplies to help the refugee effort.  This week, Biden announced additional $ 1 billion in aid, in addition to accepting refugees.
The United States and many of its allies have imposed multiple rounds of financial and other sanctions on Russian individuals, banks and other entities in the hope that the cumulative effect will eventually lead to Putin withdrawing his troops.
But there is no clear way to end the conflict.  Although Russian officials have suggested they focus on invading Donbass, an area in eastern Ukraine, Biden told reporters when asked if the Kremlin had changed its strategy, “I’m not sure they have changed.”
——
Madhani reported from Washington.  Associated Press writers Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Poland, contributed to this report.


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