Last Updated:
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
Starmer, who recently took office, was in Washington to attend the NATO summit just days after being sworn in. (Screengrab)
Starmer addresses Biden’s NATO gaffe, responding to questions about Biden’s confusion between Ukrainian and Russian leaders
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced a whirlwind of questions on President Joe Biden’s gaffe during the NATO summit, which saw Biden mistakenly refer to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During the all-important conference in Washington, Biden’s slip-up occurred just before Starmer’s press briefing. The 81-year-old US President’s mix-up between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia was met with audible gasps from the press room.
This incident added to ongoing discussions in the US about Biden’s mental acuity and suitability for a second term. Starmer, who took office earlier this month, was in Washington to attend the NATO summit just days after being sworn in. The newly elected Labour PM’s US visit, which coincided with the summit, presented an opportunity to showcase the UK’s commitment to NATO.
Literally, just hours before the President of the USA introduced Zelenskyy as Putin, and referred to ‘Vice President Trump’, Keir Starmer was asked for his thoughts on Joe Biden’s mental condition. pic.twitter.com/jK49DFsNbn— Rush (@exRAF_Al) July 12, 2024
READ MORE: Joe Biden Mistakenly Identifies Zelenskyy As Putin And Kamala Harris As Trump At NATO Summit | WATCH
Starmer, who had been introduced to Biden the previous day, stuck to his positive assessment despite the incident. He acknowledged the challenge the gaffe posed but focused on the achievements of the NATO summit. When asked if Biden was “senile” during an interview with a British publication, Starmer maintained that the US president was “on really good form” and “across all the details” of the summit discussions.
Responding to criticism over his remarks confusing Zelenskyy with Putin, Biden later defended himself, saying, “Did you see any damage to our stand in my leading this conference? Have you seen a more successful conference? What do you think? And the Putin piece—I was talking about Putin, and I said, and now, at the very end, I said here, I mean Putin. I said, no, I’m sorry, Zelenskyy.”
