Biden flubs Zelensky introduction, calls him 'President Putin' at NATO summit

During a conference on Thursday evening for the Ukrainian Compact at the NATO summit in Washington, DC, Biden called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "President Putin" as he introduced the Ukrainian leader.  

"And now I want to hand it over to the President of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination. Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin." 

"President Putin, we're going to beat President Putin. President Zelensky. I'm so focused on beating Putin, we gotta worry about it. Anyway." 

Biden then brought Zelensky up to the podium at the event for the launching of the Ukrainian Compact, which is "an event with 32 allies and partners as part of our commitment to Ukraine’s long term security," a release says.  

The countries included in the compact included the United States of America, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

The gaffe did nothing to alleviate fears that the president is unfit to run for president for a second term or serve for another four years in the White House. After the event, Biden was scheduled to hold what's been called a "big boy" press conference to take questions from reporters, but it was substantially delayed.

According to a release from the White House, Biden met with Zelensky earlier in the day to "discuss U.S. support for Ukraine in response to Russia’s continued aggression. The leaders discussed the state of the battlefield and ongoing US efforts to provide Ukraine with the equipment it needs to defend itself." Biden "announced an additional package of security assistance" for the country. This includes a Patriot air defense system, air defense interceptors, as well as artillery and HIMARS ammunition. In addition to this, Biden committed to prioritize the energy infrastructure in Ukraine.