Donald Trump gets Zelensky and Putin mixed up AGAIN in mortifying gaff | World | News
Donald Trump confused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Vladimir Putin during their joint attendance at the NATO summit in Türkiye on Wednesday, leaving onlookers stunned. Speaking with Mr. Zelensky at the Beştepe Presidential Complex, the US President pointed to the Ukrainian leader and asked journalists: “Do you have a question for President Putin?” he asked. He later added that he would meet with the Russian President later in the day.
The moment, which was captured on video and went viral on the Internet, came as the two leaders were discussing the ongoing war in Ukraine. Mr. Zelensky, seated to Mr. Trump’s right, kept a calm expression as the U.S. president continued speaking.
Mr. Trump’s latest confusion is reminiscent of previous incidents in which the two leaders appeared to confuse each other. The incident occurred at a press conference held during the NATO summit in Ankara, where issues of strengthening Ukraine’s defense and pressing for peace negotiations were discussed.
In the same appearance, Mr. Trump also referred to Japan as the “Islamic Republic of Japan” and named the Iran nuclear deal “JCPOC.” Yet when announcing plans to allow Ukraine to produce US-made Patriot missiles under license, Mr Trump said: “We’ll license you to build Patriots. That’s pretty nice. That way you can’t complain that we’re not giving them enough.”
Mr. Trump described both Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelensky as “difficult characters,” adding: “We have solved many wars, and this is the one that I think would be perhaps the easiest.”
The blunder comes as Ukraine faces intense Russian missile and drone attacks. Russia launched new attacks on Odessa on Wednesday, wounding six people and striking Kiev for the third time this week. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces said they had shot down nine Russian “shadow fleet” tankers in the Sea of Azov in the past 72 hours as part of efforts to disrupt Moscow’s logistics.
NATO leaders are meeting in Ankara amid rising tensions to discuss Ukraine’s long-range strikes deep into Russia and the need for Mr. Putin to return to the negotiating table.
Mr. Trump’s comments immediately attracted attention on social media, with critics highlighting the mistake as evidence of confusion at the highest level. Supporters dismissed this as typical over-the-top rhetoric.
The incident overshadowed more important elements of the meeting, including Mr. Trump’s apparent support for strengthening Ukrainian air defenses. Mr. Zelensky has repeatedly called on the United States to procure more Patriot systems that are critical to intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Express.co.uk: “President Trump delivered a high-energy marathon performance at the NATO summit, holding four separate press conferences plus a solo press conference and fielding unscripted questions from reporters on a wide range of topics. The president commanded every room, gave our allies some much-needed tough love and left the summit with a stronger NATO and a more united free world.”
