During a congress in Dallas, the former president spoke about Russian President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Bush spoke of “one man’s decision to launch an entirely unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq.” “I mean Ukraine,” Bush hastened to say, shaking his head. The slip of the tongue is widely reported in American media. For example, Newsweek speaks of a ‘colossal mistake’†
Bush was talking about Putin when he seemed to confuse the Russian leader’s invasion of Ukraine with the US-led invasion of Iraq during his presidency in 2003. That year saw a controversial US invasion of Iraq because Iraqi President Saddam Hussein would have weapons of mass destruction.
After the slip, Bush took a short break and chuckled. “I’m 75,” Bush said softly, appearing to attribute the error to his age. Bush spoke for about ten minutes at the George W. Bush Presidential Center that examines the future of US elections.
Bush and Putin during a meeting in 2001.
EPA