Outgoing US President Joe Biden could not clearly explain what he talked about with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During a speech at US Commander-in-Chief farewell ceremony, Biden uttered a jumble of words when he spoke about his Russian counterpart.
“When I spoke to him on the phone, I talked- he talked- he wanted us to be the Finland of Europe. I then pointed out to him at the time for real that you are not going to get the Finland of Europe. You gonna get the finlandization……. not of Europe. You gonna see Europe join NATO,” Biden said.
The American leader did not specify when his conversation with Vladimir Putin may have taken place.
During a speech at the White House in early January, Biden said that he had known Putin for more than 47 years. The head of state tried to remember the date of his first summit with the Russian leader, but got confused.
“I’ve known — I’ve known Putin for over 47 years. Met with him many times. I remember when I met with him in off — in the off period between the time that we were elected and before we were sworn in — or just after we were swor- – no, actually, before we s- – no, that’s true — just after we sworn in, in early February. And I wanted to talk about re- – reestablishing arms control and dealing with nuclear weapons,” Jo Biden said.
Biden’s Putin-Zelensky gaffe of 2024
Biden’s yet another gaffe that he made in late December 2024 was named one of the main political gaffes of the year.
It goes about Biden’s reference to Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” during the NATO summit in Washington. During the event, Biden introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by saying: “Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin.”
