Nadhim Zahawi, the secretary of education, said it was “up to the Russian people to decide how to govern” after Biden’s unsigned statement in a speech in Poland on Saturday, which the White House later said was not a call for regime change. “I think it depends on the Russian people,” he told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday. “I think the Russian people are very tired of what is happening in Ukraine, this illegal invasion, the destruction of their own livelihoods, their economy is collapsing around them and I think the Russian people will decide the fate of Putin and of the comrades “. Biden’s comments came as Russia fired rockets at the city of Lviv in western Ukraine, 40 miles from the Polish border. The city is the most pro-western in the country and the base of many western journalists. Analysts described the attacks as intended to send a clear message to the White House. Biden described Putin as a “butcher” and told an audience in Warsaw that the West needed to prepare “for a long battle ahead.” In what appeared to be a dramatic change in US policy, Biden also appeared to be urging those around the Russian president to oust him from the Kremlin. “In the name of God, this man can not stay in power,” Biden said. U.S. officials later said the president was talking about the need for Putin to relinquish power on Ukrainian soil and in the wider region. Zahawi did not say that Biden made a mistake in making the call. He said: “This is an illegal invasion of Ukraine and it must end, and I think that is what the president was talking about. “The White House has been very clear on this, the president has made a very strong speech about it and I think both the United States and the United Kingdom agree that it is up to the Russian people to decide who should govern them.” Some have expressed fears that the speech would strengthen Putin at home. Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Commons’s defense committee, said it was “unwise” to comment, saying Putin would “push it, deepen it and fight harder.” Former Labor Secretary Margaret Beckett said she could understand what prompted the call. “I like what we’ve seen in Joe Biden. “I know he receives a lot of criticism, but he makes me someone who has strong emotions and just tends to express them,” he told Sky. “And, you know, maybe this honesty and reaction, sometimes from people in our political world, is not enough for us. “I’m sure his staff and the people around him are right to say that America is not calling for regime change, but I also believe that many people will sympathize with the feelings that led him to say what he did.” On Sunday, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss also told the Sunday Telegraph that sanctions on Russian banks, businesses and individuals could be lifted if Putin left Ukraine. The comments were similar to those of her US counterpart, Antony Blinken, who said the overwhelming financial sanctions “were not designed to be permanent”. Tras said there were strict conditions for easing the measures: “These sanctions should be lifted only with a complete ceasefire and withdrawal, but also commitments that there will be no further aggression. “And also, there is the possibility of imposing extraordinary sanctions if there is further aggression in the future. “This is a real lever that I think can be used.”
