Biden's gaffes and assurances: Key takeaways from NATO summit press conference
US President Joe Biden (Phoro: Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden held a press conference following the NATO summit in Washington. During this time, he paid considerable attention to foreign policy and answered several questions regarding his election participation. However, his blunders, of which he made several, became the most talked-about topic.
RBC-Ukraine outlines Biden's main statements below.
Contents
- Health, US elections, and Trump
- Gaffes about Zelenskyy and Harris
- Russia and Putin
- Supporting Ukraine and permitting strikes on Russian territory
- War between Israel and Hamas
Biden opened the press conference with remarks about NATO and Ukraine's security, then discussed inflation, border security in the US, and negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. He then began answering questions.
Health, US elections, and Trump
The first question concerned the declining support for Biden among Democrats. Specifically, he responded to a question about the head of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, who doubts his ability to win, saying, "The UAW just endorsed me, but go on." (MP from Holos Yaroslav Zhelezniak pointed out that the UAW's support was over five months ago. So it is unclear if Biden meant another union organization, the AFL-CIO, which renewed its support for him this week).
Biden specifically dismissed calls for him to withdraw from the election, warning that "a lot is at stake."
"I've taken three significant and intense neurological exams. In each case, they say I'm in good shape. Or they think I should a neurological exam, I'll do," Biden said.
Aging "creates a little bit of wisdom," noted the American president, who is currently 81 years old. He emphasized that he "could handle the stress" associated with holding office for another term.
He also said that if former President Donald Trump returns to the White House for a second term, "American democracy will be at risk."
"I'm not in this for my legacy. I'm in this to complete the job I started," Biden claims.
He also spoke about his administration's successes and achievements in foreign and domestic policy and criticized Trump.
"I think I'm the most qualified person to run for president. I beat him once, and I will beat him again," Biden said.
Gaffes about Zelenskyy and Harris
Biden was forced to justify his blunder when he mistakenly called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "Putin" before his press conference. But he made another mistake. Here's how it happened the first time:
"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," Biden said.
However, he immediately realized his mistake and corrected himself, noting that Zelenskyy would defeat Putin.
"President Putin, you're going to beat President Putin, President Zelenskyy. I am so focused on beating Putin," Biden added.
Later, while explaining his mistake, the US President again said "Putin" instead of "Zelenskyy," immediately apologizing.
"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," Biden added.
His slip-ups did not end there. He also mixed up Harris' last name, calling her Trump. When asked if Vice President Kamala Harris was ready to replace him as a candidate if necessary, Biden said: "Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president [if I didn't] think she was not qualified to be president."
Russia and Putin
During the press conference, Biden promised to maintain a tough stance on Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Biden emphasized that if Russia is allowed to succeed in Ukraine, they will not stop there. He recommended reading Putin's speech following the invasion of Ukraine to understand his true objectives.
The American president stated that he sees no point in negotiating with Putin at this time.
"I'm not ready to talk to Putin unless Putin's ready to change his behavior and the idea look, Putin's got a problem," Biden emphasized.
"First of all, in this war that he supposedly has won, and by the way, I think, don't hold me to the exact number, but I think that Russia had 17.3 percent of Ukraine that they've conquered, now it's 17.4. I mean, in terms of percentage of territory," Biden noted.
He stressed that Russia has caused "horrible damage" to Ukraine, "loss of life, but they've also lost over 350,000 troops, military, killed or wounded". He added that more than a million people, especially young people with technical skills, have left Russia because they see no future there. Therefore, according to Biden, Russia needs to be contained for the security of the West because it has imperia" ist plans far beyond Ukraine's borders.
Supporting Ukraine and permitting strikes on Russian
The American leader reaffirmed his intention to continue the US policy of global leadership in supporting Ukraine and strengthening NATO. He emphasized that the efforts of the allies are "united" and they will not allow Russia to defeat Ukraine.
"I will not walk away from Ukraine. I will keep NATO strong. That's exactly what we did and exactly what we'll continue to do," Biden said.
He also addressed the question of whether he would accede to President Zelenskyy's request to use American long-range weapons to strike military targets in Russia. Biden stated that the US military does not see the practicality in this.
Biden explained that the US had permitted Zelenskyy to use American weapons in the proximate border regions of Russia and questioned whether restrictions should be imposed. He posed a hypothetical scenario, asking if it would make sense for Zelenskyy to strike Moscow or the Kremlin, and concluded that it would not. Biden emphasized that the focus should be on how best to use the weapons provided to Ukraine.
According to him, the United States has provided Ukraine with more long-range strike and defensive capabilities.
"I'm following the advice of my commander in chief, my—the chief of staff of the military, as well as the Secretary of Defense and our intelligence people," Biden said, emphasizing that and his team decide daily what they should and should not do, and how far they can go.
War between Israel and Hamas
The US President stated that the war between Israel and the Gaza Strip must end now and that "Israel should not occupy the enclave after the war." According to him, both Israel and Hamas have agreed upon the terms of the ceasefire but "there are still gaps to close."
"These are difficult, complex issues. There are still gaps to close. We're making progress. The trend is positive. I'm determined to get this deal done and bring an end to this war, which should end now," Biden said, adding that he has sent his team to the region to negotiate the details.
The 75th anniversary NATO summit, held in Washington from July 9 to 11, was attended by the 32 member countries and 35 of their partners, including Ukraine.
As expected, Ukraine did not receive an invitation to join NATO, but the allies assured in the declaration that its path to the bloc is "irreversible." Moreover, Kyiv secured security agreements, received additional military aid packages, and heard the long-awaited news from allies that F-16 fighter jets are already on their way and will soon patrol Ukrainian skies.
At the summit, 23 countries and the European Union signed a document supporting Ukraine called the Ukraine Compact, which outlines the principles of support for Ukraine in the defense sector.
For detailed results, read the material by RBC-Ukraine, "No invitation, but air defense and F-16s: What Ukraine gained from NATO summit."
Sources: material include the live broadcast of the US President Joe Biden's press conference on the White House website, materials from Associated Press, Reuters, Voice of America, CNBC, CNN, and BBC.
