OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
French President Emmanuel Macron has taken aim at United States President Joe Biden for his rhetoric during his trip to Europe.
During his trip the president referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “butcher” and said he should not remain in power. A message the White House had to later walk back.
In an interview with F Channel 3 in France, the French president advised his counterpart to refrain from using that language, Reuters reported.
“I wouldn’t use this type of wording because I continue to hold discussions with President Putin,” he said. “We want to stop the war that Russia has launched in Ukraine without escalation — that’s the objective. If this is what we want to do, we should not escalate things — neither with words nor actions.”
The French president on Friday had said he was seeking to hold more talks with President Putin in the coming days regarding the situation in Ukraine as well as an initiative to help people leave the besieged city of Mariupol.
President Putin sent his troops into Ukraine on what he calls a “special military operation” to demilitarise and “denazify” Ukraine. Ukraine and the West say Putin launched an unprovoked war of aggression.
Far-right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said she backed Macron’s approach.
“Obviously, those are words that add oil to the fire,” the candidate said when asked about the president’s comments
“The fact that the president of the Republic is not entering into this escalation is a good thing,” she said.
President Joe Biden sent shockwaves during a speech in Poland speaking about the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The president ended his speech on Saturday in what many believed to be a reference to regime change in Russia and getting rid of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Putin the president said, “For God’s sake this man cannot remain in power.”
Biden referring to Putin: "for god sake, this man cannot remain in power. " pic.twitter.com/rYMogy5xeb
— Kevin Tober (@KevinTober94) March 26, 2022
“This is not to be decided by Mr. Biden. It should only be a choice of the people of the Russian Federation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in response.
The White House later explained that, “The President’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change.”
“Biden on Putin: ‘this man cannot remain in power’ for the first time, overtly embracing regime change in Russia,” CNN reporter John Harwood said.
Biden on Putin: "this man cannot remain in power"
for the first time, overtly embracing regime change in Russia
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) March 26, 2022
“WARSAW — ‘For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,’ said Biden, referring to Putin, as he closes out his big speech in Poland. Worth noting that the Biden administration so far has been at pains to NOT even hint at anything approximately regime change,” MSNBC political analyst Ashley Parker said.
WARSAW — "For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power," said Biden, referring to Putin, as he closes out his big speech in Poland.
Worth noting that the Biden administration so far has been at pains to NOT even hint at anything approximately regime change.
— Ashley Parker (@AshleyRParker) March 26, 2022
🚨POTUS ends his speech with the strongest words we’ve heard yet directed at Putin: "For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.”
— annmarie hordern (@annmarie) March 26, 2022
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Biden ends speech in Poland by calling for Putin's removal, saying, 'For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power.'
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) March 26, 2022
Biden draws a new line. “This man cannot remain in power.” That takes this struggle to a whole new level.
— Joe Cirincione (@Cirincione) March 26, 2022
The line that will be the one that jumps out at Vladimir Vladimyrovich:
For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.
— Dan Baer (@danbbaer) March 26, 2022
Powerful speech from @POTUS ending with “this man cannot remain in power” pic.twitter.com/g9i6DbbNFP
— Dr Alina Polyakova (@apolyakova) March 26, 2022
🔥“For god’s sake, this man cannot remain in power” – Biden says about Putin at the end of his speech in Warsaw
— Anastasiia Lapatina (@lapatina_) March 26, 2022
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Biden ends speech in Poland by calling for Putin's removal, saying, 'For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power.'
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) March 26, 2022
As he wraps his speech in Warsaw, Biden declares forcefully about Vladimir Putin: "For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power!"
— Kevin Liptak (@Kevinliptakcnn) March 26, 2022
It was the end of a long speech in which he portrayed Ukraine as the front line in the fight between autocracy and democracy.
” My message to the people of Ukraine is … we stand with you. Period,” he said in front of the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland.
“We emerged anew in the great battle for freedom, a battle between democracy and autocracy. Between liberty and oppression. Between a rules-based order and one governed by brute force,” he said. “In this battle, we need to be clear-eyed. This battle will not be won in days or months either. We need to steel ourselves for the long fight ahead.”
CNN reported:
Just before Biden was set to speak in Poland, an airstrike struck a fuel depot just outside Lviv, Ukraine – about 200 miles away from where the President would speak. The strike caused billowing smoke and flames to rise above the western Ukrainian city, which had largely been seen as a safe haven during the war given its distance from the Russia-Ukraine border.
It was a surprising attack, coming just a day after the Russian military said the first phase of the conflict had ended and they were shifting their attention to the disputed eastern parts of Ukraine. After days of Western leaders displaying their united front against Russia, the strike could be seen as a response from Russian President Vladimir Putin and his military to Biden and the West.