U.S. President Joe Biden made a startling comment towards the end of his milestone speech in Poland, saying of Vladimir Putin: “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.”

President Biden gave a direct message to the Russian people while speaking from Warsaw Saturday telling them, “You… are not our enemy.” 

“I’ve always spoken directly and honestly to you the Russian people,” he says.

“Let me say this, if you’re able to listen. You the Russian people are not our enemy. 

“I refuse to believe you welcome the killing of innocent children and grandparents.

“Or that you accept hospitals, schools, maternity wards for God’s sake, being pummelled with Russian missiles and bombs.

“Or cities being surrounded so that civilians cannot flee, supplies cut off and attempting to starve Ukrainians into submission.

“Millions of families are being driven from their homes, including half of all Ukraine’s children.

“These are not the actions of a great nation.”

The Kremlin responds

It is not for Joe Biden to decide if Vladimir Putin stays in power, the Kremlin says.

As we reported earlier, the US president gave a speech with comments aimed directly at the Russian people, closing with: “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.”

According to Reuters, a Kremlin spokesman responded: “That’s not for Biden to decide. The president of Russia is elected by Russians.”

WATCH: BIDEN CALLS PUTIN A “BUTCHER”

White House statement

Biden’s line that Putin “cannot remain in power” was not in his prepared remarks, a White House official said.

US officials had said previously said removing Putin from power was not their goal.

“For us, it’s not about regime change. The Russian people have to decide who they want to lead them,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier this month.

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