Biden "Gaffe" On Putin Scrambles US Efforts To Rally United Front On Ukraine Conflict

President Biden's comment that the Russian president "cannot remain in power" was termed "a horrendous gaffe" by one Republican senator.

President Joe Biden's apparent call for Vladimir Putin's exit reverberated instantly around the world, sparking an administration rush to course-correct -- and risks scrambling US efforts to rally a united front on the Ukraine conflict.

President Biden's comment that the Russian president "cannot remain in power" -- delivered in Warsaw at the close of three days of marathon diplomacy -- was termed "a horrendous gaffe" by one Republican senator.

A senior US analyst said it could have the effect of lengthening the war.

And even France's president warned such language could "escalate" a conflict the United States and its NATO allies have sought at all costs to contain, and undercut Western efforts to help suffering Ukrainians.