The US will defend Russia from Russia, a senior general has declared

Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder has declared that the US intends to defend Russia’s sovereignty from Russia itself, in a slip of the tongue that went unnoticed by the American press.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Ryder told reporters that “what we’re focused on, it’s on enabling Russia to defend its sovereignty and deter future Russian aggression.”

Ryder did not immediately correct himself, instead going on to say that “armor, artillery, and ammunition” would help achieve this goal. No reporters present in the briefing corrected Ryder either.

The general is not the first American official to mix up the belligerents involved in the Ukraine conflict. At a speech in Washington earlier this summer, US President Joe Biden introduced Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky as “President Putin,” whom he described as someone “who has as much courage as he has determination.”

🇺🇸 Pentagon spokesperson Ryder says the US is enabling Russia to defend its sovereignty against Russian aggression.

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— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) September 13, 2024

Biden, who is 81 years old and often appears visibly confused at press conferences and public events, has also mixed up Ukraine with Iraq, Gaza, and Russia. His press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre has also referred to the “People’s Republic of Russia,” a state that does not exist.

Ryder straightened out his apparent confusion later in his briefing, declaring that Washington is “Very much focused…on ensuring that Ukraine has what it needs to be able to preserve its sovereignty and take back occupied territory.”

For more than a year, however, American military officials have expressed doubt that Ukraine will be able to retake its lost land by military force. With four of its former regions – Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye – along with Crimea incorporated into the Russian Federation, Ukraine must accept the “reality” of its territorial losses before peace talks can begin, Moscow maintains.