The ambassador to NATO said on Sunday that the United States does not have a policy of regime change in Russia, in the latest effort to clarify President Joe Biden’s statement that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power,” Reuters reported.

Julianne Smith sought to contextualize Biden’s remarks in Poland on Saturday, saying they followed a day of speaking with Ukrainian refugees. Russia’s month-old invasion has driven a quarter of Ukraine’s population of 44 million from their homes.

“In the moment, I think that was a principled human reaction to the stories that he had heard that day,” Smith told CNN, before adding: “The US does not have a policy of regime change in Russia. Full stop.”