Biden says he was expressing 'moral outrage' with off-script Putin remarks

President Biden defended his controversial remarks in which he appeared to call for regime change in Russia over the weekend – off-script comments that were quickly walked back by his administration.

"I am not walking anything back," he told reporters Monday after making remarks Monday about the release of his budget. "I was expressing the moral outrage that I feel, and I make no apologies for it."

On Saturday, Biden, capping his trip to NATO, said: "For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power."

His administration quickly downplayed it, telling reporters that the president's comments did not signal a policy change.

A White House official said Biden's "point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. He was not discussing Putin's power in Russia, or regime change."

When asked if he was ready to meet his Russian counterpart, Biden said Monday: "It depends on what he wants to talk about."

The two men met last met face-to-face in Geneva in June 2021. [Copyright 2022 NPR]