Biden defends his remarks about Putin: "People like this shouldn’t be ruling countries, but they dd"

U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday defended his unscripted remarks in Warsaw about not wanting Vladimir Putin to remain in power, saying it reflected his own moral outrage, not an administration policy shift, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

“I’m not walking anything back... I make no apologies for it,” Biden told reporters at the White House. “The fact of the matter is, I was expressing the moral outrage I felt toward the way Putin is dealing and the actions of this man.”

Asked whether the remark would spur a negative response from Putin, Biden said: “I don’t care what he thinks ... He’s going to do what he’s going to do”.

He repeated that “should not remain in power” but acknowledged that "bad people" do often continue in their positions despite their conduct. "... People like this shouldn’t be ruling countries, but they do.  The fact they do -- but it doesn’t mean I can’t express my outrage about it".

Biden did not directly say whether he would be willing to meet with Putin, and it would depend “on what he wants to talk about”.

And he said of the Russian president: “He continues on this course he is on, he is going to become a pariah worldwide, and goodness knows what he becomes at home.”

“This is a guy who goes to the beat of his own drummer,” Biden added. “And the idea that he is going to do something outrageous because I called him for what he was and what he’s doing is just not rational.”

Biden declared that “for God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power” at the end of a 30-minute address in Warsaw last Saturday, referring to Putin. Within minutes of the conclusion of his speech, a White House official said that comment was referring to Putin exercising power not in Russia, but in its neighborhood.

The unscripted remarks didn't sit well with some politicians both at home and abroad, as some believe that it will be difficult for the White House to unring the bell on Biden’s comments at a precarious time for U.S.-Russia relations.

Biden, however, downplayed the risk of upending diplomatic relations with Moscow or giving Putin fodder to escalate his attacks, growing visibly irritated when pressed by reporters on the fallout, as he delivered remarks on his budget proposal at the White House.

As for the budget proposal, the White House asked Congress for $813 billion for national defense on Monday — including $1.6 billion to support Ukraine against Russia’s invasion and assist other countries across Europe and Central Asia threatened by regional insecurity.

"The request provides significant assistance to our allies and partners while building their capacity to counter actions from malign actors," per White House fact sheet.

Biden requested $715 billion for the Pentagon last year. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also said on Monday that: "Putin has greatly underestimated the world's resolve to impose cost on Russia for its unprovoked aggression."The suffering of the Ukrainian people should remind us all of the human  toll taken by aggression," he said at the Pentagon.

Biden's budget also included funding for defending democracy globally, according to the State Department.

"In response to increasing authoritarianism around the world, the Request has more than $3.2 billion to advance democratization, protect universal human rights, bolster anti-corruption work, and increase programming that builds inclusive, legitimate, and effective governance – consistent with the commitments made during the President’s Summit for Democracy," - Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.