US President is set to take 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.
Germany’s Scholz defends 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 incident by reporters.
“But this does not change a single thing of what the US president stated very clearly in his speech,” Scholz said.
‘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)
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