March 26, 2022politicalRussia Ukraine warEuropean securitydemocracy promotiondiplomacypoliticaldiplomatic
Biden delivers landmark democracy speech in Warsaw declares this man cannot remain in power
President Biden delivers a major address at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland, rallying European democracies behind Ukraine. At the end of an impassioned speech, Biden departs from his prepared text and says of Putin, stating "For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power." The White House immediately walks back the statement, saying Biden was not calling for regime change. The remark nonetheless generates global headlines and requires emergency diplomatic damage control. The speech is widely seen as one of the most forceful US foreign policy addresses since the Cold War, drawing comparisons to JFK's Berlin speech.