US President Joe Biden is taking questions from reporters on Thursday as he closes out the summit of 32 NATO leaders in Washington.
You can watch it live here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShxEyQyMXFE
Biden says ‘United behind Ukraine’ on final day of summit
With Ukraine’s potential NATO membership on the agenda at the summit, Biden was keen to show his support for the Kyiv cause, with Ukrainian President Voldoymyr Zelenskyy also in attendance.
Ahead of his closing speech, Biden said: “We are united behind Ukraine.”
Biden mistakenly introduces Zelenskyy as Putin before news conference
Biden mistakenly introduced Zelenskyy as “President Putin” ahead of his news conference.
“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 at the NATO summit, drawing gasps from those in the room.
“Going to beat President Putin, President Zelenskyy. I am so focused on beating Putin,” Biden said while correcting himself.
Shortly afterwards, when answering the first question at Thursday night’s news conference, Biden called Donald Trump his vice president, confusing him with Kamala Harris.
“I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if she was not qualified to be president,” Biden said.
Biden went on to say he is “the most qualified person to run for president. I beat him [Trump] once, and I will beat him again,” Biden said, adding that he is “not in this for my legacy” but to “complete the job I started.”
He added that he is “determined” to run in November’s presidential election but it was important for him to “allay fears” among Democrats.
Scholz and Macron defend Biden after gaffe
“Slips of tongue happen, and if you always monitor everyone, you will find enough of them,” Scholz said when asked about the confusion between Putin and Zelenskyy.
“But this does not change a single thing of what the US president stated very clearly in his speech,” Scholz said.
French President Emmanuel Macron leapt to the defense of the under-scrutiny US president, saying Biden was “in charge” and on top of matters, despite the mistake.
“We all slip up sometimes,” Macron said. “It’s happened to me and it could happen again tomorrow. I would ask for your indulgence.”
Biden on Gaza
Biden said his administration was making progress towards a cease-fire in Gaza, nine months into the conflict that began in the wake of Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel.
“These are difficult, complex issues. There are still gaps to close. We’re making progress. The trend is positive, and I’m determined to get this deal done and bring an end to this war, which should end now,” Biden told reporters.
Biden on Putin and Ukraine
“I have no good reason to talk to Putin right now,” he said, noting that this is because the Russian president has shown no willingness to “accommodate change in his behavior.”
Biden went on to say that the Kremlin “lies like hell” about the war in Ukraine, and has already lost 350,000 troops in combat.
“I’m ready to talk to any leader that wants to talk, including Putin,” he added.
‘Irreversible’ path to NATO membership for Ukraine
Yesterday, NATO endorsed an “irreversible path” to membership of the military alliance for Ukraine.
Earlier on Thursday, Zelenskyy embraced the support of those countries that have provided additional military aid and a path to joining NATO, even as he emphatically pushed for the help to arrive faster.
Zelenskyy is also keen for restrictions to be lifted on the use of US weapons to attack military targets inside Russia.
“If we want to win, if we want to prevail, if we want to save our country and to defend it, we need to lift all the limitations,” Zelenskyy said alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in the final hours of a meeting that saw Kyiv receive more commitments of weapons to help in its defense against Russia’s invasion.
jsi/rm (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)
