US President Joe Biden was "in charge" and on top of matters at a NATO summit with fellow leaders in Washington, French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday.
"I was able to talk with President Biden at length yesterday at dinner," Macron told reporters. "I saw as always a president who is in charge, clear on the issues he knows well."
The French leader was also asked about a gaffe made by Biden just minutes earlier when he mistakenly introduced Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky as his Russian foe Vladimir Putin, before quickly correcting himself.
The blunder intensified concerns about Biden's age and mental acuity after a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump two weeks ago.
"We all slip up sometimes," Macron said. "It's happened to me and it could happen again tomorrow. I would ask for your indulgence."
Macron also said that France will continue to support Ukraine "as long as necessary."
Asked about recent visits to Russia and China by Viktor Orban, Macron said the Hungarian prime minister did not go there with any "mandate" from the EU.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Imran Khan's Party To Be Banned By Pak For Alleged Anti-State Activities
Opinion: Opinion | Why Indians Must Be Realistic About The Rise Of Indian-Origin Leaders Abroad Joe Biden Dials Down Attacks On Donald Trump After Rally Shooting Joe Biden Might Not Be Backed By Key Labour Union Teamsters In US This Time Trainee IAS Officer Puja Khedkar Recalled To Academy, Training Put On Hold What Trump Rally Shooter Did On Last Day Of His Life Trump's Vice President Pick Reveals How His Hindu Wife Helped Him "Proud Of My Classmate": Vivek Ramaswamy On JD Vance, Trump's Veep Pick Adani Group-Backed Sirius Digitech Acquires Cloud Platform Firm Coredge.io In Haryana, Amit Shah's Anti-Congress Warning On Muslim Reservation Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.