During a press conference at the NATO Summit, US President Donald Trump mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin.” The incident occurred as Trump addressed reporters following a bilateral meeting with Zelensky. This blunder echoed a similar mistake made by former President Joe Biden at a past conference.
Amid scrutiny over his age and capabilities, Trump’s error was quickly pointed out by several reporters. Trying to recover from the slip-up, Trump redirected questions meant for Zelensky to Putin, even prompting a Ukrainian reporter to ask about ending the ongoing war.
In a significant development, Trump announced that the US would permit Ukraine to produce Patriot air defense systems abroad to counter Russian missile threats, a move greatly desired by Ukraine to bolster its defense capabilities in the prolonged conflict. This announcement was made during Trump’s meeting with President Zelensky at the NATO summit, where he praised Zelensky’s leadership and effectiveness in handling the war.
Zelensky has long sought access to more Patriot defense systems, which are costly and time-consuming to manufacture. Granting Ukraine the license to produce this technology has been a priority for Zelensky, and Trump’s decision to provide this opportunity is seen as a substantial advancement in Ukraine’s defense capabilities.