Biden mocked as he calls Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky 'President Putin' at NATO summit

WASHINGTON, DC: President Joe Biden mistakenly introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as "President Putin" during a NATO summit, causing a stir.

He quickly corrected himself, clarifying that his focus was on defeating Putin. This gaffe has attracted attention amid ongoing concerns about Biden's age and mental fitness.

“And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination,” Biden said. “Ladies and gentlemen, President [Vladimir] Putin."

Joe Biden made an embarrassing error during the announcement of the Ukraine Compact

As the President spoke, many in the auditorium appeared to wince. An audience member shouted, "Zelensky!" in an attempt to correct the 81-year-old Joe Biden.

International leaders on stage appeared uncertain about whether to applaud Zelensky or wait for Biden to correct himself, according to the New York Post.

The US president quickly expressed regret for the embarrassing mistake, stating that he was "so focused on beating" the strongman in the Kremlin.

“President Putin? We’re going to beat President Putin – President Zelensky. I’m so focused on beating Putin, we got to worry about it,” Biden said. “Anyway, Mr President.”

The 46-year-old Ukrainian leader scowled and shook his head, then said in jest, "I'm better."

“You are a hell of a lot better,” Biden replied.

The mix-up occurred during the announcement of the Ukraine Compact, a new security agreement involving Kyiv and leaders from the US, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Joe Biden made nearly all of the major errors during his announcement of the compact, despite using teleprompters for assistance.

The octogenarian's withdrawal from consideration for a second term is expected to be hastened by congressional Democrats in light of the error.

Volodymyr Zelensky praises 32-nation alliance for establishing compact to support Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelensky brushed off the faux pas and took to the podium to commend the group for creating the compact, which serves as a consolation prize since Ukraine was not granted an official invitation to join the 32-nation alliance during the three-day summit.

Instead, the text provided a vague commitment to "support Ukraine’s immediate defense and security needs" among its signatories.

For instance, the compact states that its members will “convene swiftly and collectively at the most senior levels to determine appropriate next steps in supporting Ukraine as it exercises its right of self-defense as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter, including the provision of swift and sustained security assistance and the imposition of economic and other costs on Russia” in the event that Russia attacks Ukraine again after the current war.

The agreement also pledges to maintain the US-established Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which convenes once a month to plan and discuss arms transfers to Ukraine from abroad.

Although Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was the driving force behind the project, insiders told The Post that NATO has been trying to transfer the working group's responsibilities to the rest of the alliance, most likely to ensure the operation continues in the event that Biden is defeated in November.

Internet mocks Joe Biden's gaffe

As soon as the news went viral on social media, users started reacting to it. One user pointed out another gaffe of Biden, saying, "Dont forget he called Trump as a VP." [sic]

Another user added, "Then just hours later calls Kamala Harris, Vice President Trump." 

A commentator wrote, "He's just embarrassing himself at this point."

"I’m so embarrassed that this guy 'runs' the country," said an X user.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.