President Joe Biden made an embarrassing gaffe to U.S. soldiers in Poland, and the White House had to hastily issue a clarification on his comments to avoid international provocation.
Biden implied that the U.S. was sending troops into Ukraine when speaking on Friday to members of the Air Army’s 82nd Airborne Division at Rzeszow, Poland, just 60 miles from the border with Ukraine.
“And you, some, some of you have been there,” said Biden. “You’re going to see, you’re going to see women, young people standing, standing in the middle of, in front of a damn tank, just saying, ‘I’m not leaving. I’m holding my ground.’ They’re incredible.”
“But they take a lot of inspiration from us,” he added, according to the White House transcript of his comments.
The president has said previously that the U.S. engagement in the war in Ukraine would be limited to economic sanctions against Russia and sending non-personnel military aid and economic aid to Ukraine. The presence of U.S. troops would be a significant escalation and provocation against Russia.
The White House released a statement clarifying that Biden’s statement was made in error.
“The President has been clear we are not sending U.S. troops to Ukraine and there is no change in that position,” read the statement sent to Andrew Feinberg of the Independent.
Biden followed up his comments calling the troops the “organizing principle” around which the free world revolves.
“And you know, the woman who just died, the secretary of state used to have an expression, she said we are the essential nation,” he said, quoting the late Madeleine Albright.
“It sounds like a bit of hyperbole, but the truth of the matter is, you are the organizing principle around the rest of the world, the free world, is moving.”
Biden also took selfies and ate pizza with the troops.
Here’s the video of Biden’s comments:
REPLAY: Joe Biden visits US troops in Poland, close to the Ukrainian border • FRANCE 24 English www.youtube.com