President Joe Biden mistakenly introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin” on stage at the NATO summit at a ceremony marking the signing of a security agreement for Ukraine.
The gaffe came at the end of a speech by Biden about NATO’s enduring support for Ukraine. He barely stuttered during his remarks as he pledged security guarantees from Western countries beyond the end of the war in Ukraine.
But that was quickly overtaken by a very embarrassing mistake.
As Biden introduced Zelenskyy to give his remarks, the U.S. president said: “Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin.”
Some of the 20-odd European leaders on stage at the ceremony began to clap, but others — unsure how to react to Biden’s error — didn’t do anything at all. An audible gasp was heard across the NATO press room.
Biden’s solo press conference at the end of the NATO summit has been seen as an important moment for him to assert his strength as a leader and prove that his presidential campaign can survive.
But with an intense focus on the president’s mental fitness following his disastrous debate performance late last month, the mistake will dominate the conversation following the end of the summit.
After recognizing his mistake, Biden attempted to laugh away the slip-up.
“I’m so focused on beating Putin. We gotta worry about it. Anyway…,” Biden said.
“I’m better,” Zelenskyy replied.
“You’re a hell of a lot better,” Biden said.
Latest Stories
-
Alan Kyerematen reveals his future plans for Ghanaian Health professionals
50 seconds -
AAIN empowers women and small enterprises in Upper East Region through SHINE project
2 mins -
Akufo-Addo leads nationwide commissioning of 80 educational projects
8 mins -
Ghana and Seychelles strengthen bilateral ties with focus on key sectors
39 mins -
National Elections Security Taskforce meets political party heads ahead of December elections
43 mins -
Samsung’s AI-powered innovations honored by Consumer Technology Association
1 hour -
Fugitive Zambian MP arrested in Zimbabwe – minister
1 hour -
Town council in Canada at standstill over refusal to take King’s oath
2 hours -
Trump picks Pam Bondi as attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdraws
2 hours -
Providing quality seeds to farmers is first step towards achieving food security in Ghana
2 hours -
Thousands of PayPal customers report brief outage
2 hours -
Gary Gensler to leave role as SEC chairman
2 hours -
Contraceptive pills recalled in South Africa after mix-up
2 hours -
Patient sues Algerian author over claims he used her in novel
3 hours -
Kenya’s president cancels major deals with Adani Group
3 hours