Biden confuses Switzerland and Sweden in his latest gaffe
JOE BIDEN mistakenly said Switzerland would be joining Nato instead of Sweden in his latest gaffe during the transatlantic alliance’s summit in Madrid yesterday.
The US president praised the “historic” applications of Finland and Sweden to join the defensive alliance but then went on to incorrectly refer to Switzerland.
Mr Biden immediately caught his mistake, joking: “My goodness, I’m getting really anxious here about expanding Nato.”
The blunder came in a rare solo press conference, as Mr Biden hailed the Nordic nations’ dramatic shift from a decades-long foreign policy position in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“We’ve invited two new members to join Nato. It was a historic act,” he told reporters, before relating his earlier call with the president of Finland.
He said: “We got on the telephone, he suggested we call the leader of Switzerland – Switzerland, my goodness – I’m getting really anxious here about expanding Nato, of Sweden”.
Switzerland is not a Nato member and has a long-standing policy of neutrality on the international stage.
The president has made a series of verbal slip-ups on the world stage, most recently when discussing America’s stance on Taiwan, prompting questions over an abrupt shift in US foreign policy, only for the White House to walk back on the comments.
The latest blunder was immediately mocked by Republicans, who have claimed the 79-year-old is unfit to be the leader of the free world.
Meanwhile, Mr Biden said Americans should be prepared to pay high petrol prices for “as long as it takes” to prevent Russia from defeating Ukraine.
In a surprise concession, the president admitted he could do little to shield Americans from the soaring cost of living which could ultimately see his party lose control of Congress in November.
Mr Biden suggested the economic pain was an inevitable cost of preventing Vladimir Putin’s war from moving “beyond Ukraine”.
Readying allies for a protracted conflict, he said: “We are going to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
The three-day summit showed Nato repositioning itself on a Cold War footing with a massive forces build up.
Mr Biden said he was “rallying the world” behind it as he unveiled another $800million (£660million) in US military assistance to Ukraine within days.
The package includes air defence systems, artillery and ammunition, with a notable focus on deadly and extremely accurate High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.
Mr Biden had earlier pledged more American troops, warplanes and ships for Europe as Nato agreed to strengthen its deterrent, putting more than 300,000 troops on high alert from the middle of next year.
Boris Johnson, meanwhile, has promised a further £1billion in military aid, taking Britain’s support since the start of the war to more than £2.3billion, a sum second only to Washington.
‘Finns suggest we call leader of Switzerland ... goodness, I’m getting really anxious here about expanding Nato’