TEXAS, DALLAS:
Former US President George W. Bush made the mistake of referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “brutal” and “unjustified.” He later clarified that he meant the war of Iraq.

Bush made the remarks at a speech in Dallas on Wednesday, during which he criticised Russia’s political system.

“The result is a lack of checks and balances in Russia, as well as one man’s choice to launch an entirely unjustifiable and savage invasion of Iraq,” Bush added before correcting himself and shaking his head. “I’m referring to Ukraine.”

As the audience erupted in laughter, he humorously blamed the error on his age.

When Bush was president, the US spearheaded an invasion of Iraq in search of weapons of mass destruction, which were never discovered. Hundreds of thousands of people were murdered and displaced as a result of the long-running conflict.

Bush’s comments rapidly went popular on social media, with over three million views on Twitter alone after a Dallas News reporter tweeted the video.

The former US president also compared Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to Winston Churchill, Britain’s wartime leader, while criticising Russian President Vladimir Putin for invading Ukraine in February.