Biden denounces Russian invasion, casting it as part of a decades-long attempt to crush democracies.

Speaking in Warsaw, President Biden delivered a forceful denunciation of Vladimir V. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, declaring “for God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power” and casting the war as the “test of all time” in a decades-long battle to defend democracy.

Shortly after the speech, the White House tried to clarify Mr. Biden’s remarks, insisting that the president was not calling for regime change. “The president’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region,” a White House official said.

In a speech from a castle that served for centuries as a home for Polish monarchs, Mr. Biden drew a stark line between the forces of liberty and oppression in the world.

“Russia’s choice of war is an example one of the oldest human impulses — using brute force and disinformation to satisfy a craving for absolute power and control,” he declared. Read more

@nytimes