‘Putin is losing the war in Iraq’, says Biden in latest gaffe
Joe Biden has mentioned Vladimir Putin is “losing the war in Iraq” in the latest gaffe by the US president.
Mr Biden addressed the aborted riot by the Wagner mercenary group in Russia over the weekend, saying it had “absolutely” weakened Putin, calling the Russian president a “pariah” on the world stage.
Asked to what extent Putin was weakened by the riot, Mr Biden mentioned: “It’s hard to tell, but he is clearly losing the war in Iraq, he’s losing the war at home and he has become a bit of a pariah around the world.”
It is not the first time Mr Biden has made the similar mistake. In November, he mistook the American war in Iraq for the Russian invasion whereas discussing Ukraine.
He informed a gathering in Florida: “Inflation is a worldwide problem right now because of a war in Iraq and the impact on oil and what Russia is doing,” earlier than interjecting: “Excuse me, the war in Ukraine.”
Mr Biden’s administration has been cautious in deciphering the fallout from the extraordinary occasions in Russia the place the forces from the Wagner group – considered one of the most succesful components of the Russian army in Ukraine – mutinied and threatened to assault Moscow, earlier than reversing course.
In an unusually prolonged change with reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Mr Biden additionally addressed the current scandal engulfing his son Hunter’s enterprise dealings in China and his administration’s financial coverage.
Last week an IRS whistleblower claimed Hunter Biden despatched a message to a Chinese businessman in which he mentioned he was sitting “with my father” as he pressured him over a proposed power deal.