President Biden wrapped up a major speech in Warsaw, Poland on Saturday by saying, “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin. This assertion stands in sharp contrast to previous official U.S. statements which have been careful to not imply regime change as a goal of Washington. Biden’s remarks took a firm stance against Russia’s invasion, reiterating America’s “sacred obligation” to defend NATO if Russia moves “on one single inch” of member territory. Saturday’s speech bookended a four-day trip to Europe where Biden met with European leaders to discuss the war in Ukraine which has now entered its second month. 

White House officials quickly walked back the President’s comments, which may have been ad-libbed, knowing the Kremlin would likely view them as a rhetorical escalation. “The President’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbours or the region. He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change,” the White House official said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to Biden’s comments telling Reuters, “That’s not for Biden to decide. The president of Russia is elected by Russians.” Many experts, including Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, took to Twitter to say Biden may regret these comments. “Putin will see it as confirmation of what he’s believed all along. Bad lapse in discipline that runs risk of extending the scope and duration of the war,” said Haass. 

President Biden’s escalatory rhetoric comes at a dangerous time as Russian aggression continues throughout Ukraine. Whether the President’s gaffe provides insight into Washington’s ultimate goal, or if it was just that, a gaffe, remains to be seen. Nevertheless, rhetorical blunders on the world stage have potentially dire consequences when a nuclear power already at war views those comments as a threat. Biden’s comments should be consistent with the international community’s interests of ending the war on terms Ukraine can accept and deterring Russian escalation. Comments inconsistent with these goals run the risk of sparking a wider conflict that draws in more countries. 

The Russo-Ukrainian war expanded on 24 February 2022 with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine following a military build-up on the border dating back to 2021. The war began in 2014 after the Revolution of Dignity ousted President Viktor Yanukovych and overthrew the Ukrainian government in February of that year. Russia soon annexed Crimea, a peninsula in southern Ukraine that sits on the Black Sea, and started backing separatists forces in the eastern Donbas region. Since the invasion, most Western nations have denounced the Russian aggression as a violation of international law and implemented sanctions aimed at draining Russian funds to support the war. Billions of dollars of weaponry and aid has flooded into Ukraine to help civilians fight off Russian and Russian-backed forces. 

In recent weeks, United States officials have started to escalate their rhetoric toward the Kremlin, while maintaining that their hope is to see de-escalation. Speaking with reporters on 16 March 2022, Biden said, “I think [Putin] is a war criminal.” A week later, Secretary of State Antony Blinken formally declared this position in a press statement: “based on information currently available, the U.S. government assesses that members of Russia’s forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine,” said Blinken. Russia is undoubtedly the aggressor and available evidence points toward violations of the laws of war.

Nevertheless, United States officials must ensure their rhetoric aligns with their approach. Politically inflammatory gaffes that can be seen as threatening to the Kremlin make de-escalation and peace talks more difficult. Statements that contradict purported United States policy merely confuse the conversation, running counter to Ukraine’s and the international community’s best interests. However, some believe this was not Biden going off-script and instead was a Freudian slip highlighting America’s intentions to use the war as a means to bleed Russia. If that is the case, we have bigger problems than a loose-lipped President unable to push the public narrative. We have to deal with the reality of a United States foreign policy less worried about Ukrainian lives and more worried about geopolitical positioning and American hegemony.