United States President, Joe Biden
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that President Joe Biden made the announcement about the US sending Ukraine longer-range rocket systems in a guest essay published in the New York Times.
But beyond weapons, the president touched on other key issues in the conflict. He stated outright, for example, that the US would not seek to remove Vladimir Putin from power. He wrote:
“As much as I disagree with Putin… the United States will not try to bring about his ouster. So long as the United States or our allies are not attacked, we will not be directly engaged in this conflict.”
Biden then added that the US would not seek to prolong the conflict solely to inflict pain on Russia.
He also stressed that the US did not want war between Nato and Russia, and sought to reassure Moscow that he would not encourage Ukraine to strike outside of its territory.
His comment about the removal of Putin from power appears to clarify earlier, unscripted, comments he made during a speech in Poland in March. At the end of that speech, Biden said of the Russian president:
“For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.”
Analysts suggested that comment risked escalating the war. A spokesman for the Russian government described it as “astounding”, and White House officials quickly attempted to row back.
FURTHER READING:
“The president’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbours or the region,” a Biden administration official said shortly after.
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