Sunday, December 21, 2025

Trump excuses Russian attacks on civilians

From the Politico / Yahoo!News:

"Trump admin offers subdued response to Russia’s assault on Kyiv, and Europe’s outrage

Eli Stokols

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.”

The administration’s neutral response to the Russian attack comes despite the public pleas from European allies who insisted that Russia’s onslaught is more than tit-for-tat..."

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In other words, according to Trump's administration, any Russian atrocity against Ukrainian civilians is justified because Ukraine strikes Russian military targets.

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