Two of President Donald Trump’s top advisers declined to describe Russia as the aggressor in the war in Ukraine, as the administration seeks Vladimir Putin’s support for a peace deal.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and national security adviser Mike Waltz both avoided direct answers in television interviews on Sunday, portraying the question as a distraction from Trump’s diplomacy.

"My question is, does all the finger-pointing and pearl-clutching make peace more likely?” Hegseth said on Fox News Sunday.