US President Joe Biden has mixed up Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an embarrassing blunder that will add to the scrutiny over Biden’s mental state.
The gaffe occurred in Washington on Thursday, as Biden was hosting the launch of the so-called Ukraine Compact, an initiative aimed at concluding bilateral security agreements with Kiev.
Flanked by NATO and EU leaders, the US president delivered a short speech and was about to hand over the podium to Zelensky.
“And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine who has as much courage as he has determination,” Biden said while inviting Zelensky to speak. But instead of introducing him by name, Biden unexpectedly told the audience: “Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin!”
Apparently realizing his mistake, Biden returned to the podium and corrected himself, saying: “President Zelensky! I’m so focused on beating Putin, we [have] to worry about it… anyway… mister president.”
Zelensky interjected with “I’m better,” to which Biden replied, “You are a hell [of a] lot better.”
During a press conference later that evening, Biden mixed up his vice president, Kamala Harris, with his 2024 election rival and Republican frontrunner, former President Donald Trump. “Look I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if she was not qualified to be president,” he told reporters.
Following last month’s disastrous televised debate with Trump, multiple Democratic Party politicians and major donors, as well as leading US news outlets, have urged Biden to suspend his reelection campaign so that the party could select a different candidate. Biden, however, has dismissed growing concerns about his age and mental decline, insisting that he is the best person to defeat Trump in November.