The frequent verbal slip-ups by U.S. President Joe Biden have sparked both ridicule and concern in Russia.
What Happened: During the NATO summit in Washington on Thursday, Biden erroneously introduced the leader of Ukraine as “President Putin,” before swiftly correcting himself.
This blunder, along with Biden’s confusion of names between his Republican adversary Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, received extensive coverage in Russian media, reported Reuters.
He [Biden] is “a pro-Russian candidate being controlled by the Kremlin,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson joked on Friday.
Olga Skabeyeva, a pro-Kremlin TV commentator, posted a video of Biden’s Putin name blunder on her social media, accompanied by a laughing emoji. “The show from Joe goes on!” she wrote.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged Biden’s mistakes, stating, “We noticed that the whole world paid attention to what happened… It’s clear that these were slips of the tongue.”
Peskov also expressed disapproval of Biden’s disrespectful comments about Vladimir Putin, referring to them as “unacceptable.”
Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, criticized Biden’s frequent errors, attributing them to his deteriorating cognitive abilities. Maria Zakharova, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, used Biden’s gaffe to ridicule U.S. allegations of Russian interference in American politics, the report noted.
Why It Matters: These incidents occur as Biden faces pressure from fellow Democrats to withdraw his re-election bid. Despite the criticism, Biden has insisted on staying in the race, asserting he is the best candidate to defeat Trump in the November election.
However, his decision has divided the Democratic party, with some members, including former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, urging him to reconsider.
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