President Joe Biden on Thursday mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "President Putin" before correcting himself at the NATO summit in Washington, D.C.

"And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination, ladies and gentlemen, President Putin," Biden said, referring to Zelenskyy, before correcting himself.

"Going to beat President Putin, President Zelenskyy. I am so focused on beating Putin," Biden said.

The room at the summit gasped when Biden misidentified Zelenskyy as Putin.

Biden has been under intense scrutiny in recent days and has faced doubts, including from members of the Democratic Party, about his reelection chances after a weak and faltering performance in a debate late last month against former President Donald Trump.

Biden's remarks Thursday came as NATO members extended support to Ukraine to combat the Russian invasion that began in February 2022. The U.S. has been Ukraine's staunchest ally regarding military assistance amid the war.