Kamala Harris distances herself from Biden remark calling for Putin's removal: 'We are not into regime change'

Vice President Kamala Harris was pressed about whether she agreed with President Biden's controversial remark calling for Russian President Vladimir Putin's removal from power. 

Biden generated international headlines after his speech in Warsaw, Poland, when he told the world in what apparently was an off-script remark that Putin "cannot remain in power." 

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The White House immediately rolled that back, releasing a statement saying, "The president’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."

During an interview that aired Friday on MSNBC, "ReidOut" host Joy Reid asked the vice president if she agreed that Putin "should no longer be the leader of Russia."

Harris initially dodged the question by giving a long-winded answer, pivoting to the "serious consequence" the Biden administration vows to place on Putin for his aggression toward Ukraine, citing "severe sanctions" she said are "having a real impact and an immediate impact, not to mention the longer-term impact."

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After Harris recapped her recent visit to Europe, Reid continued her line of questioning about Putin by asking if the sanctions should remain in place "as long as Vladimir Putin is the dictator of Russia."

"Well, I'm not going to speculate about the future. I'm going to tell you where we are now. They are intact," Harris responded. "And we will continue to upgrade them and make them so — more severe as appropriate. And as far as we are concerned, everything is on the table in that regard because we are seeing extreme atrocities. We are seeing maternity hospitals being bombed. We are seeing a location that was so clearly designated as being a shelter, a place of safety for children. We are seeing … millions of people being displaced, potentially permanently, in a war that was instigated, unprovoked, unjustified, against a whole population of people."

"So you know, the sanctions are going to be severe and they will last as long as these atrocities and this aggression is continuing," Harris added. 

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"So no luck on getting you to weigh in on whether he should be — whether he should remain?" Reid asked. 

"Listen, let me be very clear, let me be very clear," Harris replied. "We are not into regime change and that is not our policy. Period."