White House says Trump’s questions to Zelensky about Ukrainian strikes on Moscow and St. Petersburg were out of mere curiosity

Update: Speaking outside the White House on Tuesday, President Trump told reporters that Ukraine “shouldn’t target Moscow” and declared himself to be on “humanity’s side” when asked if he’s changed his position on Russia’s invasion.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has accused The Financial Times of misrepresenting Donald Trump’s comments in a recent conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During the exchange, Trump asked if Kyiv was capable of “striking Moscow and St. Petersburg.” “President Trump was merely asking a question, not encouraging further killing,” Leavitt told Newsweek, accusing FT of being “notorious for taking words wildly out of context to get clicks because their paper is dying.” She added that President Trump is “working tirelessly to stop the killing and end this war.”

The Washington Post also reported that, in a conversation last week, Trump asked Zelensky “why he did not hit Moscow.” However, the newspaper did not quote the president directly.