Keir Starmer defends Joe Biden’s Nato leadership after Zelensky gaffe

Joe Biden mistakenly called Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky ‘president Putin’ at a Nato summit event

Sir Keir Starmer has defended Joe Biden’s leadership of the Nato summit despite the US President confusing Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin.

The prime minister, who earlier insisted President Biden was not senile and was on “good form”, faced questions about the president’s mental ability just moments after the US leader’s gaffe.

President Biden introduced Ukrainian president Mr Zelensky as “president Putin” at an event attended by Sir Keir at the Nato summit in Washington.

Keir Starmer urged critics of Joe Biden to look at the substance of what the Nato summit achieved (PA)

He immediately corrected himself, saying: “President Putin? He’s going to beat president Putin. President Zelensky.

“I’m so focused on beating Putin, we’ve got to worry about it.”

At a press conference at the conclusion of the Nato summit, Sir Keir repeatedly dodged questions about President Biden’s blunder.

Responding to questions about President Biden’s mental capacity, the prime minister told journalists “I would urge everyone to look at the substance of what’s been achieved over these two days” over support for Ukraine.

He said: “When we think of the global threats, that is the best possible outcome we could have had today and so I think he deserves credit for that, as does the team that worked with him.

“We close this council with renewed confidence and resolve to meet the challenge of Russian aggression. That is the outcome we all hoped we would get to and President Biden led us through that.”

Sir Keir sidestepped a question about whether President Biden was capable of serving four more years in the White House, instead again focusing on the outcomes of the Nato summit.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden at the Nato summit (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)

President Biden’s leadership credentials have been cast into doubt amid questions about his cognitive health, which have intensified since criticism of his performance in a TV debate against Donald Trump.

The President, 81, is seeking re-election in November despite discontent within the Democrat ranks about his suitability.

Sir Keir, who met the president for their first bilateral talks at the White House on Wednesday as Nato leaders gathered in Washington to discuss the challenges facing the bloc, said President Biden had been “across all the detail”.

Before President Biden’s latest slip-up, Sir Keir had told a US broadcaster that their one-to-one discussions had happened “at pace” and Mr Biden seemed “on really good form”.

“We were billed for 45 minutes, we went on for the best part of an hour,” he said.

Joe Biden mistakenly referred to the Ukrainian president as Vladimir Putin (Sputnik)

“He was absolutely across all the detail. We were going at pace through a number of issues.”

Asked whether the President was senile, Sir Keir told the BBC: “No… he’s shown incredible leadership.”

The President has stood firm against suggestions he should drop his candidacy and appealed for an end to the row over how the party moves forward in a sharply worded letter to Democrats.

Legislators and fundraisers including Hollywood actor George Clooney have since joined calls for President Biden to step aside, after he appeared flustered and stumbled over his words in the presidential debate with Mr Trump last month.