Freudian slip? US official says, twice, war with Russia 'strategic failure' for Ukraine

Was it a Freudian slip? During a press briefing on Monday, the US State Department spokesperson made a controversial statement and claimed that the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has been a "strategic failure" for Ukraine.

Matthew Miller, the department's spokesperson, mistakenly made this assertion not once, but twice, before admitting that he was out of touch due to his absence from the podium for a week.

The gaffe

While holding the press briefing on Monday, Miller was asked about the 500 days of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the role of the United Nations' "almost 200 member nations" in the conflict.

In reply, Miller as per the transcript available on the US State Department Website said: "We believe the war has been a strategic failure for Ukraine.The Secretary [of State Antony Blinken] spoke to this in a speech he gave in Helsinki last month, I believe it was."

His gaffe was immediately pointed out, with a reporter asking him "A strategic failure for Russia or for Ukraine?".

Thanking the reporter for the correction, the spokesperson once again said that the strategic failure lies with Ukraine.

"I'm sorry, a – excuse me, a strategic failure for Ukraine. Thank you for the correction."

Watch a video of the press briefing here:

The slip of the tongue by the US State Department spokesperson has ignited a debate about the true nature of Ukraine's war with Russia and the US's role in it.

The controversy stemming from Miller's gaffe

Miller's blunder has quickly gained attention on Twitter. Users have begun questioning the US support for Ukraine and are suggesting that Miller's slip of the tongue revealed a deeper truth.

Some argue that despite the subsequent correction, the repeated mistake by Miller raises doubts about the US's stance on the conflict. A few Twitter users called for Miller's resignation and questioned the continued financial aid sent to Ukraine.

Biden administration's series of blunders

This incident, as per The Daily Caller, is just one in a series of blunders that have plagued the Biden administration.

President Joe Biden himself recently made an accidental revelation about the shortage of conventional artillery shells in the US military, which he said led to the decision to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine instead.

Speaking to CNN, the US president was defending his turnaround decision to provide deadly cluster munitions to Ukraine and said: "This is a war relating to munitions. And they're (Ukraine) running out of that ammunition, and we're low on it."

Additionally, Biden mistakenly claimed on two occasions within 24 hours that Russian President Vladimir Putin was "losing the war in Iraq" and had become "a bit of a pariah around the world."