White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s White House is now “bothsidesing” – literally – Russia’s bloody and ongoing attacks on Ukraine.

In one of her periodic briefings, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday essentially equated dictator Vladimir Putin’s near-nightly slaughter of Ukrainian civilians in their homes with Ukraine’s retaliatory strikes against Russia’s oil production infrastructure.

“Perhaps both sides of this war are not ready to end it themselves,” she said.

Leavitt had been asked whether Trump had a response to Russia’s massive attack Wednesday night, using hundreds of drones and missiles, on residential areas of Kyiv, which killed some 20 civilians, including children.

By mid-afternoon, Trump’s lack of a statement condemning Putin stood in stark contrast to those coming from the leaders of Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, the European Commission and others.

“Six-hundred twenty-nine missiles and drones in a single night over Ukraine: this is Russia’s idea of peace. Terror and barbarism. More than a dozen dead, including children,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media. “Full support to the Ukrainian people, and deepest compassion for all the grieving families.”

“The intense attacks on Kyiv........

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