Nato not seeking regime change in Russia: Scholz

BERLIN • Regime change in Russia is not Nato's objective, despite Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday, a day after US President Joe Biden branded Russian President Vladimir Putin a "butcher" who "cannot remain in power".

It "is not the objective of Nato, nor that of the US President", Mr Scholz told German state television channel ARD. "I've had the chance to talk at length with him at the White House and we have also discussed these questions."

The White House moved quickly on Saturday to play down Mr Biden's comments in an impassioned speech in Warsaw, Poland.

Having denounced Mr Putin as a "butcher" for his invasion of Ukraine, Mr Biden said at the end of the speech: "For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power."

The White House later scrambled to deny that he was seeking "regime change" in Moscow.

The Kremlin responded that it was not for Mr Biden to decide who the Russian president should be, and that Mr Biden's words could harm bilateral relations.

"Democracy, freedom and justice have a future everywhere," said Mr Scholz on Sunday. "But it's for the people and to nations to fight for this freedom," he added.

Mr Scholz's comments follow remarks earlier that day by French President Emmanuel Macron, in which he warned against verbal "escalation" with Mr Putin.

Yesterday, Moscow expressed concern over Mr Biden's comments. "This is a statement that is certainly alarming," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at his daily press briefing. "We will continue closely monitoring statements of the US President."

Even as top administration officials spent Sunday walking back Mr Biden's remarks, the statement had already sent ripple effects throughout the world.

Mr Biden spent most of the speech summarising the penalties his administration had imposed on Russia and its efforts to support refugees, while asserting that even though the United States would not send troops to Ukraine, it was prepared to defend Nato allies.

Mr Biden raised his voice when he warned Mr Putin not to move "on one single inch" of Nato territory, a message of support for allies that was intended to be one of the main takeaways from the address, according to officials.

Until the US leader's unscripted moment, the speech had largely achieved its intended goals, lawmakers, allies and foreign policy experts said. But immediately afterwards, Mr Biden's aides worried that his remark might roil some of those allies the President was determined to keep unified.

The White House has tried to ensure that each step against Russia is in line with European allies. Taken literally, the remark meant the US would be reversing a policy of not pushing for regime change.

Mr Michal Baranowski, a senior fellow and director of the Warsaw office of the German Marshall Fund, acknowledged that Mr Biden's comment could be perceived as "a call for regime change". But he said it was unlikely to lead to further escalation with Russia.

But Republican members of Congress worried that the Kremlin, which has issued propaganda claiming the US is determined to destroy Russia, would seize on the remark.

Senator Rob Portman described Mr Biden's speech as "very strong, despite the ad-lib at the end". The comment "plays into the hands of Russian propagandists and plays into the hands of Vladimir Putin", he said during an interview on NBC's Meet The Press.

Mr Vyacheslav Volodin, a senior Russian lawmaker, wrote on Telegram that neither Mr Boris Yeltsin nor Mr Mikhail Gorbachev, who led during the Cold War, was the target of similar comments from American heads of state.

"The reason for this behaviour will be more professionally explained by psychiatrists," Mr Volodin said. "US citizens should be ashamed of their President."

Senator Jim Risch, top Republican member on the Foreign Relations Committee, said Mr Biden made a "horrendous gaffe" in an otherwise good speech.

"The administration has done everything they can to stop escalating - there's not a whole lot more you can do to escalate than to call for a regime change," he told CNN's State Of The Union.

Separately, Mr Scholz on Sunday said Germany is looking at buying an Israeli anti-missile system to shield against a potential attack from Russia and which could also offer protective cover for neighbouring European Union states.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NYTIMES, REUTERS