Moscow: It's not for Biden to say if Putin stays in power, Russians choose their president
The Kremlin has fired back at US president over his apparent call for regime change in Russia, after Joe Biden said his Russian counterpart cannot remain in power.
"That's not for Biden to decide. The president of Russia is elected by Russians," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Reuters as saying on Saturday.
Biden has stepped up his personal attacks on his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, since February 24, when the Russian head of state announced a “special military operation” aimed at “demilitarization” of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in eastern Ukraine. In 2014, the two regions declared themselves new republics, refusing to recognize Ukraine’s Western-backed government.
Announcing the operation, Putin said the mission was aimed at “defending people who for eight years are suffering persecution and genocide by the Kiev regime.”
Earlier in the day, Biden said in a fiery speech during a stay in Poland that “this man (Putin) cannot remain in power," denouncing the military operation.
A White House official later on Saturday, tried to downplay Biden's hawkish statement by alleged that he was not calling for "regime change" in Russia but his point was that "Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region."
Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, suggested mockingly on social media that the clarification of Biden's latest remarks had come from the White House’s medical unit.
Last week, the Kremlin blasted Biden for making "personal insults" towards Putin after he labeled him a "war criminal," denouncing the comment as "unacceptable and unforgivable," and saying Biden’s remarks appeared to have been fueled by irritation, fatigue, and forgetfulness.
Biden has also slapped several rounds of sanctions on Moscow, including a ban on Russia’s energy exports to the US.
Russian officials have also questioned the US president's state of mind, with Rogozin calling the coercive economic measures "Alzheimer's sanctions."
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