JOE Biden mistakenly introduced Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” at the NATO conference.
The 81-year-old US President was speaking during the Ukraine Compact initiative at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington today.
ReutersUS President Joe Biden speaks at a Ukraine Compact meeting, alongside Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky[/caption]
AFPBiden quickly corrected himself as he welcomed the Ukrainian leader to speak[/caption]
ReutersBiden is hosting the Nato summit in Washington[/caption]
He said: “Now I want to hand over to the President of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination, ladies and gentleman, President Putin.”
Biden quickly corrected himself as he greeted Zelenskyy onto the stage.
“Going to beat President Putin, President Zelenskiy. I am so focused on beating Putin,” Biden said.
It comes after new British PM Sir Keir Starmer hit back at claims Biden is “senile” as he attempts to run for a second term against old foe Donald Trump.
The Labour leader defended his American counterpart after holding an hour-long bilateral meeting in the White House, amid the summit.
Biden is facing growing calls to stand down as the Democrat candidate ahead of the US election in November.
When asked by the BBC whether Biden was senile after an increasing number of people are implying that he is, the PM slapped it down.
He said: “No, we had a really good bilateral yesterday, we were billed for 45 minutes, we went on for the best part of an hour, we went through a huge number of issues at pace.
“He was actually on really good form.”
Biden’s team met privately with skeptical senators on Capitol Hill today amid calls for him to stand down ahead of the election.
More House Democrats called for him to exit the race, ahead of the notable Putin flub.
The President was announcing a compact that would bring together Nato countries to support Ukraine, when he made the gaffe to audible gasps in the room.
“I’m better,” Zelensky replied. “You’re a hell of a lot better,” Biden said back.
The Biden campaign laid out what it sees as its path to keeping the White House in a new memo, saying that winning the blue wall states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan is the clearest pathway to victory.
And it declared no other Democrat would do better against Republican Trump.
Biden will head to Detroit on Friday.
The campaign has been quietly surveying voters on Vice President Kamala Harris to determine how shes viewed among the electorate, according to sources.
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