United States President Joe Biden declared that Russian President Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power," at his address in the final stop of his European trip.
"For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power," Biden announced at his address delivered at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland.
Though, the White House said that Biden's message does not mean a call for a change of leadership in Russia.
One White House official clarified that the US President's point "was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region."
The official pointed out that the line "cannot remain in power" was not included in the prepared message, CNN reported.
Earlier, White House officials remarked that the US is not aiming to remove Putin from office.
US Secretary of State Antony Binken earlier mentioned that "regime change" is not included in Washington's agenda.
"The Russian people have to decide who they want to lead them," Blinken said.
Russia Questions Biden's Mental State
In its response to Biden's latest blast on Putin, the Kremlin said that Russia's leadership "is not to be decided by Mr. Biden.
"It should only be by a choice of the people of the Russian Federation," said Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson.
Russian officials also questioned Biden's mental state.
Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, mockingly suggested on social media that the White House's medical staff provided clarifications on Biden's statements.
Rogozin has already slammed the US for imposing "Alzheimer's sanctions" on Russia over the Ukrainian conflict, which Moscow describes as a "special military operation" intended at disarming Ukraine.
Moreover, the Kremlin said that Biden's comments were prompted by exhaustion, forgetfulness, and annoyance.
Russian officials accused Biden of making "personal insults" to Putin after he referred to the Russian head of state as a "war criminal" and a "murderous dictator."
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Russian Attacks Continues
Russia on Sunday has attacked Ukrainian fuel and food storage depot, according to Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Vadym Denysenko, according to a report from Al Jazeera
While President Joe Biden was in Poland on Saturday, Russian rockets pounded the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, which is viewed by observers as Moscow's message that its forces are willing to strike anyplace in Ukraine, despite its claim to be focused its offensive on the country's east.
The two airstrikes rattled the city that served as a haven for an estimated 200,000 people who have been forced to evacuate their homes.Since the assault began, Lviv had been largely spared from Russian attacks, however, rockets struck an airplane repair factory near the main airport a week ago per The Associated Press.
Before the invasion, the city had a population of around 700,000 people. Residents who no longer feel safe flee to the neighboring country of Poland, where they were met by US President Biden on Saturday to show support,.
Lviv has also become a humanitarian staging ground for Ukraine, and the strikes could make the already difficult task of delivering aid to the rest of the nation even more challenging.
