President Biden, who quickly corrected himself, said, “President Putin? You are going to beat President Putin, President Zelenskiy. I am so focused on beating Putin.”
US President Joe Biden on Thursday made several gaffes at the NATO press conference in Washington D.C., one of which was referring to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine as President Vladimir Putin of Russia before correcting himself.
In a video making the rounds on social media, President Biden after his speech at the summit wanted to hand over the mic to President Zelenskiy and said, “And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination, ladies and gentlemen, President Putin.”
President Biden, who quickly corrected himself, said, “President Putin? You are going to beat President Putin, President Zelenskiy. I am so focused on beating Putin.”
Collecting the mic, President Zelenskiy said, “I am better (than Putin),” to which Biden replied to and said, “You are a hell of a lot better,” amid laughter from some participants in the room.
President Biden at the summit launched an initiative with allies aimed at supporting Ukraine’s security needs in the fight against Russia.
During the press conference, President Biden also referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.”
Biden’s gaffes came amid intense scrutiny and calls to withdraw from the presidential, especially after his faltering performance in a debate in June against former President Donald Trump.