President Biden stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power,” during his recent speech in Poland. Adding that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was a “strategic failure” and pledging continued support for those suffering in Ukraine.

“For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Biden announced. Making this the first time Biden has explicitly called for Putin’s removal.

“We must commit now to be in this fight for the long haul. We must remain unified today and tomorrow and the day after and for the years and decades to come,” he said. “It will not be easy. There will be cost, but it’s a price we have to pay because the darkness that drives autocracy is ultimately no match for the flame of liberty that lights the souls of free people everywhere.”

He also had a message for the Ukrainian people: “We stand with you. Period.”

However the White House has since denied that Biden was calling for Putin’s removal. Saying “the President’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region,” a White House official said. “He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change.”