Trump admin offers subdued response to Russia's assault on Kyiv, and Europe's outrage
Source: Politico
Trump admin offers subdued response to Russia’s assault on Kyiv, and Europe’s outrage
Allies sought to convince Trump that deadly overnight attacks make clear that Putin’s not interested in peace. But they made little headway.
By Eli Stokols
08/28/2025 04:13 PM EDT
President Donald Trump was not particularly perturbed by Vladimir Putin’s overnight bombardment of Kyiv — the largest Russian assault since the leaders met two weeks earlier. European leaders spent the morning trying to get him there.
In a flurry of social media posts designed for an audience of one, they pointed to Russia’s barrage of several hundred missiles and drones as proof that Putin is not sincere in his overtures for peace.
But on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insinuated that the attack on Ukraine’s capital that killed at least 19 people, including four children, was an understandable response to Ukraine’s assault on Russian refineries over the last month.
Trump “was not happy about this move, but he was also not surprised,” Leavitt said, reiterating that the president wants the bloodshed to stop but blamed both countries for the lack of progress in negotiations. “These are two countries that have been at war for a very long time. Russia launched this attack on Kyiv, and likewise, Ukraine recently dealt a blow to Russia’s oil refineries.”
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Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/28/trump-shrugs-off-russias-assault-on-kyiv-and-europes-outrage-00534585
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