By Reena Bhardwaj
Washington [US], August 29 : President Donald Trump was "not happy" but "not surprised" over air strikes conducted by Russia on Ukraine, the White House said.
"He was not happy about this news, but he was also not surprised," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a media briefing.
Leavitt added that while the President desires an end to the war, both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "must want it to end as well".
The air strikes were the second-largest since the start of the conflict, resulting in at least 19 deaths, including four children, officials said.
White House Press secretary also revealed that the president plans to "make some additional statements on this later" without giving further specifics.
The remarks come amid ongoing efforts by the United States and Russia to find a resolution, with both sides holding the much-anticipated truce talks in Alaska to discuss ending the conflict in Ukraine.
Russia carried out long-range strikes on Ukrainian military targets on Thursday, deploying a range of weapons including hypersonic air-launched Kinzhal missiles, the Defense Ministry in Moscow reported, according to RT.
The strikes reportedly hit multiple weapons plants and airfields, the Moscow-based ministry claimed, confirming earlier reports of attacks originating from Kiev. Ukraine's military said it intercepted most of the incoming drones and missiles but acknowledged successful Russian strikes at 13 locations, with additional damage caused by debris from downed weapons, RT reported.
Footage of one of the attacks, apparently captured on CCTV, circulated online, showing two missiles hitting the same location in central Kyiv. RT reported that some sources identified the site as the office of the defence company Ukrspecsystems on Zhilyanskaya Street, which police cordoned off on Thursday.
Igor Zinkevich, a Lviv city council member, told RT that Russia also targeted a plant in Kyiv operated by the Turkish military firm Bayraktar, marking the fourth such attack in six months.
Earlier in August, Russia's Federal Security Service said it had carried out an operation with the military targeting Ukraine's Sapsan ballistic missile program, claiming to have infiltrated the project and caused "colossal" damage through subsequent strikes, RT reported.
Moscow has repeatedly accused Western nations of turning Ukraine into a proxy force by supplying weapons and funds, while arguing that Kiev's war effort is unsustainable and serves foreign rather than Ukrainian interests.