US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was forced to continue clarifying Biden’s speech during a trip through the Middle East,as the administration seeks a renewed nuclear agreement with Iran.

Speaking at a news conference in Jerusalem,Blinken said Biden meant that “Putin cannot be empowered to wage war or engage in aggression against Ukraine or anyone else”.

Although the White House insisted after the speech that Biden was not calling for regime change,Republicans questioned why he decided to go off-script when dealing with a combustible conflict.

Some said Biden’s provocative rhetoric was strange given his otherwise cautious approach,such as refusing to facilitate the transfer of Polish fighter jets to Ukraine’s military.

“If we’re so worried about provoking him that we couldn’t even send MiGs into Ukraine,how is this any different?” Republican congressman Michael McCaul told CNN’sState of the Union on Sunday. “In fact,I would say it’s more provocative than sending MiGs into Ukraine.”

The US has been rushing weapons such as anti-tank missiles into Ukraine,and is considering providing anti-ship missiles to make it harder for Russia to mount an amphibious offensive along the Black Sea coast.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains exasperated with the pace of military assistance,accusing Western leaders of cowardice and repeating his request for tanks and fighter jets.

AP

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