Biden’s latest gaffe came after Russian military chief Sergei Surovykinon announced he had ordered his troops to withdraw from one of the only major cities Russia captured after its February 24 invasion. “I think the context is that they either withdraw or they don’t withdraw from Fallujah — from the city of Kherson — and [Russian forces] they return along the river to the east side of the river[Δνείπερου]”, Biden said in response to a reporter’s question about whether Ukraine is ready to start negotiations with Russia.[Dnieper}river”Bidensaidwhileansweringareporter’squestionaboutwhetherUkraineisreadytoenternegotiationswithRussia[Dnieper}river”Bidensaidwhileansweringareporter’squestionaboutwhetherUkraineisreadytoenternegotiationswithRussia In November and December 2004, Fallujah was the scene of the bloodiest urban conflict fought by US forces since the Vietnam War and is widely remembered as a pivotal moment in the US invasion of Iraq. The president confused a city in Ukraine with a battle in Iraq in 2004. Tom Brenner/REUTERS About 12,000 American soldiers fought in the battle, 82 of whom were killed, while another 600 were wounded, according to the Pentagon. The US killed about 2,000 rebels in the battle and captured another 1,200, military officials estimated. The president did not say what made him misspoke Wednesday, but also said he “found it interesting” that Russia decided to announce its withdrawal from the region after Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections. “We’ve known for some time that they would go as evidence of the fact that they have some real problems in the Russian military,” Biden said. “Whether or not there will be a crisis over whether Ukraine is ready to come to terms with Russia remains to be seen.” The president said he believed Russian and Ukrainian leaders would “lick their wounds” after the withdrawal before deciding “what they’re going to do in the winter and decide whether or not to compromise.” Ukrainian servicemen fire a 2S7 Pion self-propelled gun on the front line in Kherson, Ukraine. Viacheslav Ratynskyi/REUTERS Biden has a history of stumbling over his words at unfortunate moments, which his allies have blamed on a lifelong stutter. On October 25, for example, he wished Vice President Kamala Harris a happy birthday, referring to her as a “great president.” Biden was also mocked earlier this month for writing “dot” in a website address he read from a telemarketer. During a July trip to the Middle East, he shocked listeners in Israel by speaking of the “honor of the Holocaust” rather than its “horror” and praised the “selfishness” of American troops serving in Saudi Arabia.
