U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Washington will withdraw from negotiations if progress on a ceasefire is not made soon. While Kyiv has agreed to a 30-day pause in the fighting, Russia has not.

Kalev Stoicescu (Eesti 200), chairman of the Riigikogu's National Defense Committee, said Trump's statement must be taken seriously. It may be directed at Russia to show that the discussions must be taken seriously.

However, the MP believes such a threat is unlikely to have much effect on Putin's Russia.

"But it can also be seen — and I believe this is more likely — as backing out of the negotiation process. There is a growing realization that Russia does not actually want peace. There is growing awareness of how complicated it is, and finally, to put it bluntly, we are throwing in the towel," Stoicescu told "Aktuaalne kaamera."

The chairman said Europe must now take sole responsibility for ending the war because as the continent's future depends on it. The coming weeks will be critical, he added.

"Peace, as such, is not Trump's goal. Peace is just a means. It is one deal in the pursuit of a bigger deal, but that bigger deal with Putin simply is not going to happen," Stoicescu said.

Security expert Rainer Saks told the show that the U.S. has split its attention across several foreign policy initiatives.

"In a broader sense, the problem is that the U.S. has launched too many highly demanding foreign policy initiatives. From pressuring Iran in the Middle East and reaching a nuclear deal, to trade wars, to all kinds of wrangling with China. The tendency seems to be that they simply lack the capacity to act on all of it daily and at a high pace," he said.

Saks believes Trump has likely ditched his campaign promise to quickly end the war in Ukraine. If so, it may no longer be a priority.

"As for this possibility of the U.S. stepping aside, how or whether it will step aside, I'm completely sure they have not discussed or decided that. But at the very least, they are toying with the idea as a way to put pressure on the negotiators," Saks said.

The expert thinks Russia does not want the U.S. to step aside, or for negotiations to collapse. Continuing the talks is far more important to Moscow than to Ukraine.

"For Russia, this process is a matter of survival. Continuing a war that has dragged on for three years, with no clear goal or outlook, is becoming increasingly difficult for Russia," Saks said.

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