In Russia, Biden's verbal slip over Putin's name draws mockery and unease

U.S. President Joe Biden reacts as he attends a press conference during NATO's 75th anniversary summit, in Washington, U.S., July 11, 2024. REUTERS/Leah Millis

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Joe Biden has shown he is "a pro-Russian candidate being controlled by the Kremlin," Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman joked on Friday, after the U.S. president misspoke and introduced Ukraine's leader as "President Putin" before correcting himself.

Video of the gaffe at a NATO summit in Washington on Thursday featured prominently on news bulletins in Russia, where state TV commentators have long depicted Biden, 81, as a senile old man who risks stumbling into World War Three unlike Putin, 71, whom they portray as a strategic genius.