Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly mixed up the name of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the BRICS summit, as shared in a video by the Agentstvo news outlet, according to the Adyrna portal.
When introducing the Turkish leader, Putin struggled and managed to pronounce Erdogan’s full name correctly only on his third attempt.
This incident adds to a pattern, as Putin, who turned 72 in early October, has previously made similar missteps with the names of other world leaders, particularly those from Central Asia. The Kremlin has not commented on these recurring lapses, despite Putin often confusing the names of leaders he frequently interacts with, like Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, whom he has mispronounced multiple times.
Some analysts suggest that these frequent mispronunciations might not be entirely accidental and could influence Russia’s diplomatic relations with other nations.
