Biden in 'Putin' blunder ahead of high-stakes press conference
The Peninsula
Washington: US President Joe Biden mistakenly introduced Ukraine s President Volodymyr Zelensky as his Russian foe Vladimir Putin at a NATO summit Thu...
Washington: US President Joe Biden mistakenly introduced Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky as his Russian foe Vladimir Putin at a NATO summit Thursday in a blunder just hours before a press conference that could decide the fate of his reelection bid.
The 81-year-old quickly corrected himself, and Zelensky quipped that he was "better" than Putin, but the gaffe intensified concerns about Biden's mental acuity after a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump two weeks ago.
"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," Biden said as he announced a NATO-Ukraine compact at the summit in Washington.
Biden turned away from the lectern before coming back and exclaiming: "President Putin! He's going to beat President Putin. President Zelensky -- I'm so focused on beating Putin we gotta worry about it. Anyway, Mr President."
The error drew gasps from the room but Zelensky, Ukraine's wartime leader against Russia's 2022 invasion, laughed it off.