WARSAW, Poland (AFP) – On Saturday, US Vice President Joe Biden slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the month-long conflict in Ukraine, calling him a “butcher” who “cannot continue in power.”
“Don’t even think about marching on one single inch of NATO territory,” Biden cautioned Russia in an emotional address made from the Royal Castle in Warsaw after meeting with top Ukrainian officials in Poland and earlier speaking with NATO and EU allies on the issue.
Although the White House moved immediately to downplay Biden’s extraordinary remarks on Putin, claiming that the US vice president is not seeking “regime change” in Russia and was referring to Putin’s influence over regional neighbours, the Kremlin expressed its unhappiness.
Personal assaults are “narrowing the window of opportunity” for bilateral ties, according to one official.
Biden balanced his strong comments for Putin with a concerted attempt to appeal to regular Russians, telling them that they were “not our adversary” and urged them to blame their government for the Western sanctions.
At a time when over four million Ukrainians have been displaced from their homeland, he gave reassurance to those in the audience and worldwide. He answered, “We are with you.”
Even as two Russian missile strikes smashed into the west of the nation, Biden questioned Russia’s indication that it would scale back its war ambitions in order to focus on eastern Ukraine.
The president stated that he was “not sure” that Moscow had changed its goals, which he claimed had resulted in “strategic failure” thus far.
Two Russian missiles hit a fuel station in Lviv, western Ukraine, earlier this week, a rare strike on a city only 70 kilometres (45 miles) from the Polish border that has evaded major conflict.
At least five people were injured, according to regional governor Maksym Kozytsky, while plumes of dense black smoke were seen by AFP journalists in the city centre.
On February 24, Putin dispatched soldiers to Ukraine, pledging to destroy the country’s military and depose pro-Western President Volodymyr Zelensky.
However, his army has made little headway in seizing important cities, and in increasingly lethal attacks on civilians, it has targeted hospitals, residential structures, and schools.