NATO summit: Biden to Selensky: "And now I welcome President Putin"

Handelsblatt NATO summit: Biden to Selensky: "And now I welcome President Putin" With these words, the US President announced his guest Volodymyr Selensky at the NATO summit in Washington. The audience reacted with shock - now Biden's press conference is awaited with great excitement. Annett Meiritz July 12, 2024 - updated at 12:27 a.m. US President Joe Biden on stage with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky. Washington. It was actually supposed to be a routine appointment for Joe Biden: He was supposed to give a short address towards the end of the NATO summit, with a prescribed speech. But then the US President made a mistake that could further exacerbate criticism of his presidential candidacy. In the conference center of the summit in Washington on Thursday, he stood next to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky. Biden spoke about how strongly the Ukrainian military was defending itself against the Russian invasion. When he finally wanted to hand the lectern over to Selensky, it happened - Biden said: "And now I welcome, President Putin!" After his slip of the tongue, Biden moved away from the microphone to make room for Selensky on the podium before realizing his mistake and returning to the microphone. "President Putin? President Selensky... I'm so focused on beating Putin," said Biden. An audible sound of shock went through the hall. Because a mistake of this magnitude - which Biden only seemed to notice a few seconds later - is no longer perceived as a simple slip of the tongue against the backdrop of the ongoing debate about Biden's health. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has once again defended Biden against the accusation that he is no longer able to hold office. With the NATO meeting and its preparation, the American president has shown that he is "very strategically able to initiate the right decisions," said Scholz on Thursday evening in Washington. As host of the NATO summit, Biden played a major role. Since his disastrous TV debate against Donald Trump two weeks ago, the US President has been under constant scrutiny for how he performs at his numerous public events. Several leading Democratic politicians and major donors have called on Biden to withdraw his candidacy in recent days. Biden did not make a mistake at the NATO summit - until now. On Thursday evening, Joe Biden will hold his first solo press conference in six months at the summit.