Biden claims Putin is 'losing the war in Iraq' in bizarre gaffe

President Biden told a reporter outside the White House on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "clearly losing the war in Iraq," confusing the middle eastern country with Ukraine in a mistake which has occurred on two separate occasions within the past week.

Outside the White House on the south lawn, a reporter asked Biden to what extent the Wagner Group's aborted Russian uprising has impacted President Putin. President Biden responded by referring to the United States' war with Iraq which ended in 2011 while Biden was Vice President.


 

"It's hard to tell, but he is clearly losing the war in Iraq, he's losing the war at home and he has become a bit of a pariah around the world," the president said at the White House.

"It's not get NATO, it's not just the European Union, it's Japan," he added.

This adds to the many gaffes made by President Biden, 80, which often happens during impromptu remarks following questions asked by reporters, which has led to the American people questioning the president's cognitive clarity.

On Tuesday, President Biden made a similar gaffe when asked about the Russian invasion of Ukraine during a campaign event in Maryland, which he also referred to Ukraine as Iraq.

"If anybody told you — and my staff wasn’t so sure, either — that we'd be able to bring all of Europe together in the onslaught on Iraq and get NATO to be completely united, I think they would have told you it’s not likely. The one thing Putin counted on was being able to split NATO," Biden said.

The Biden administration has sent more than $50 billion in aid to Ukraine since Russia first invaded.