"A horrific slip of the tongue" What did Biden describe to the Russian president, who angered his allies?

Biden's statement came in a speech he delivered in Warsaw at the conclusion of a three-day European diplomatic tour. A Republican senator described it as a "horrific slip of the tongue", while the French president criticized it and considered it undermining Western efforts to contain the war.

US President Joe Biden's statement that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "cannot stay in power" echoed around the world, prompting his administration to quickly clarify and avoid confusing Washington's efforts to rally a united front over Russia's attack on Ukraine.

Biden's statement, which came in a speech in Warsaw at the conclusion of a three-day European diplomatic tour, was described by a Republican senator as a "horrific slip of the tongue."

French President Emmanuel Macron also warned that such phrases could "escalate" the conflict the United States and its NATO allies seek to contain, and undermine Western efforts to help the stricken Ukrainians.

"For God's sake, this man can't stay in power," Biden said, his impromptu words surprising even his advisers for their apparent deviation from US policy in dealing with the conflict thus far.

And the White House did not delay to intervene, making it clear, minutes after the speech ended, that Biden had not called for "regime change" in Russia.

But Biden's comments hours earlier, describing Putin as a "butcher", provoked an expected anger from Moscow, and left astonishment in the allied countries, and made his advisers on high alert to quell criticism.

For his part, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that what Biden meant is that "Putin cannot be allowed to wage war or engage in aggression against Ukraine or any other party," stressing at the same time, that the choice of the Russian president "is up to the Russian people." ".

As for the French president, who has spoken several times with Putin since the attack began, he warned against "escalating words and deeds" or risking hampering vital humanitarian efforts, including hopes of evacuating those stranded in the stricken city of Mariupol.

The prominent Republican Senator Jim Risch confirmed that Biden's statements completely contradict his administration's continuous efforts so far to stop the escalation of the conflict.

"Nothing can lead to escalation more than a call for regime change," Rich said.

While stressing that Joe Biden gave a "good speech", Rich pointed out that he had committed a "horrific slip of the tongue at the end", adding, "I hope they will commit him to the text of the written speech."

But not everyone saw the statement as an unspoken threat, or even as a slip of the tongue.

Among them is Ukraine's ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova, who said that "any war criminal who attacks a neighboring country and commits all these atrocities, certainly cannot remain in power in a civilized world."

While the former US ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, considered that Biden's words should be read a little differently.

"Biden expressed what billions of people around the world believe, and millions in Russia as well, and he didn't say the United States should remove him from power, there is a difference," he said.

Nevertheless, many experts in the United States and abroad have been highly critical of Biden.