'It's a mistake,' Zelenskiy dismisses Biden's Putin gaffe during Shannon meeting
Thomson Reuters
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his US counterpart Joe Biden accidentally referring to him as Russian president Vladimir Putin was a mistake that could be forgotten about given all the support the US has provided to Ukraine.
Mr Biden mistakenly referred to Mr Zelenskiy as Putin at a Nato summit in Washington on Thursday before correcting himself two seconds later.
"It's a mistake. I think United States gave a lot of support for Ukrainians. We can forget some mistakes, I think so," Mr Zelenskiy told reporters on Saturday at Shannon Airport where he was meeting Taoiseach Simon Harris.
While discussing the future of the conflict during the bilateral, Mr Harris expressed his condolences for the citizens whom Ukraine has lost in the war including the bombing of Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital earlier this week.
He also expressed Ireland’s full support for Ukraine’s bid towards EU membership.
Mr Harris, who became Taoiseach in April, offered further assistance for thousands of Ukrainian children forcibly relocated to Russia and Belarus and entered into Russian re-education programmes since the war began.
He confirmed Ireland’s membership of an international coalition for the return of the estimated 20,000 children.
The two leaders last met on the fringes of the Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland in June.
Mr Zelenskiy is stopping at Shannon Airport on his way back from a summit marking the 75th anniversary of Nato in Washington DC.
Ireland has provided €250 million in non-lethal military assistance to Ukraine under the European Peace Facility and the country has welcomed over 108,000 Ukrainians under the EU Temporary Protection Directive.
Irish Defence Forces members have trained 455 Ukrainian personnel in demining, battlefield casualty care and the use of non-lethal mine clearance equipment. - Additional reporting from Press Association
