For the record, Sputnik Africa has compiled a list of the most notable gaffes and controversial statements made by Western politicians during the course of 2023.
US President Joe Biden confused Ukraine with Iraq when he declared that Vladimir Putin was "clearly losing the war in Iraq".
European diplomacy chief Josep Borrell confused the Russian city of Belgorod with the Serbian capital of Belgrade. The official was asked what he thought about the attack on the Belgorod region by saboteurs from the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). But for some reason, Borrell thought of the Serbian city: "What is happening in Belgrade?
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock thanked Romania for its exports of "cocaine beans". She also got lost in geometry when she declared that Putin should change his opinion 360º, i.e. make a complete turn to get back to the starting point.
There was also no shortage of controversial statements and gestures: the President of the European Commission failed to name the United States as the party truly responsible for the atomic bombings of Japan.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau honored a World War II veteran who fought with the Nazis in the Canadian Parliament.