Trump Mocked After Mistakenly Calling Volodymyr Zelenskyy 'President Putin' During NATO Summit

President Donald Trump isn't soothing concerns about his cognitive decline after mixing up Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin during remarks at a NATO press conference in Ankara, Turkey.

Trump stumbled over several remarks while seated alongside Zelenskyy; at one point he praised the U.S. military's response to Iranian attacks but mistakenly referred to "the Islamic Republic of Japan" instead of Iran.

Later, he gestured toward Zelenskyy and asked reporters:

"Do you have a question for President Putin?”

Zelenskyy and Putin's respective countries have been at war since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, so that's a major flub.

After journalists corrected him, Trump quickly sought to clarify his comments:

“Do you have a question for President Putin? Not Zelenskyy, Putin. Because I'm going to ask him that question.”

You can hear what he said in the video below.

Trump has faced considerably more scathing criticism for falling asleep during events over the last few weeks and has grown increasingly fixated on the idea that prospective presidential candidates should undergo cognitive testing.

He rages at anyone who suggests he is declining mentally and physically—at one point he said speculation about his health amounts to "treason"—but his latest gaffe isn't helping matters.

Trump's gaffe occurred just days after Russia’s foreign ministry confirmed Putin had spoken to Trump during a 90-minute phone call on July 4 and that Trump had once again pledged to help end the war.

Putin personally congratulated Trump and "the entire American people" on the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, according to Russia's foreign ministry. The ministry described the call—their fourth conversation this year—as "businesslike and highly constructive," adding that Trump reaffirmed his willingness to help broker an early end to the fighting in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said he had also had a “very good call” with Trump on July 4, telling the press that there is "a real prospect to put an end to this war, and America’s resolve is decisive."