WATCH: White House briefing addresses Zelenskyy criticism, Potomac sewage spill

The White House pushed back on Ukrainian President President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calling President Donald Trump's pressure on Ukraine "unfair" during a news briefing Wednesday.

Watch in the video player above.

Zelenskyy said in an interview with news site Axios on Tuesday that it's "not fair" that Trump has persistently called on Ukraine to make concessions to Russia, but has been less forceful in his calls on President Vladimir Putin to come to the table to end Russia's war on Ukraine.

READ MORE: No breakthrough on bridging differences between Russia and Ukraine, envoys signal

"I think the president would respond to that by saying he does not think it's fair that thousands of Ukrainians are losing their lives and Russians, too, in this deadly war," Leavitt said when asked about Zelenskyy criticism.

She added, "I think the president views this entire situation as very unfair, not just for Russians and Ukrainians who have lost their lives, but also for the American people and the American taxpayer who were footing the bill for this war effort."

White House says local leaders need to invoke Stafford Act

As the sewage spill in the Potomac River continues to persist, the White House is continuing to push the leaders of Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia to ask for federal assistance.

The next step is for those officials to "step forward and to ask the federal government for help," press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday.

READ MORE: Trump lashes out at Maryland governor's over Potomac River sewage spill response

Leavitt said those leaders need to ask for the implementation of the Stafford Act, the 1988 law that outlines FEMA's responsibilities as well as cost-sharing between the feds and state, so the federal government can go in and take control.

But local leaders have noted that the burst pipe is already under federal jurisdiction. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said again earlier Wednesday that the Potomac Interceptor is a D.C. pipe that is on federal land.

Leavitt chose to single out Moore during her briefing, saying Maryland infrastructure gets a "nearly failing grade" and that the governor has shown he's "incapable of fixing this problem."

A partial government shutdown began Saturday after congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump's team failed to reach a deal on legislation to fund the department through September.

White House says Democratic proposal is 'unserious'

Leavitt said during Wednesday's briefing that the Democrats' latest proposal to end a shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security is "unserious."

She said White House officials, but not President Trump, has been in contact with Democratic leaders over the impasse, blaming Democrats for forcing some federal employees to work without paychecks.

"Last night, they sent over a counter proposal that, frankly, was very unserious," Leavitt said of Democrats. "And we hope they get serious very soon because Americans are going to be impacted by this."

Does Trump have a speech on aliens prepared? The White House hasn't heard that

"A speech on aliens would be news to me," Leavitt said when asked about the president's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, recently suggesting that Trump has a speech on aliens and would be ready to give at the "right time."

Former President Barack Obama caused a stir when he recently suggested that UFOs were "real."

READ MORE: Obama shuts down alien buzz: 'no evidence during my presidency'

Leavitt said with a laugh that the prospect that Trump has prepared remarks on aliens, "Sounds very exciting."

"I'll have to check in with our speechwriting team, and that would be of great interest to me personally," she added. "And I'm sure all of you in this room, and apparently former President Obama, too."