"When President Trump entered the room, he appeared young and energetic, but when he walked out, he was worn and tired. Putin managed to corner him with his own agenda," Rainer Saks said, describing Monday's phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian regime leader Vladimir Putin.

According to Saks, it is evident worldwide that Trump overestimated his country's capabilities and made bold promises he has so far failed to deliver on. Specifically, Trump pledged during his election campaign to end the war between Ukraine and Russia within 24 hours.

"It's clear that Trump hasn't truly taken ownership of this issue. He was unable to establish a peace plan and put it on the table for Russia to act on. The core problem clearly lies with the president himself — he lacks negotiation skills," Saks said.

The security expert also noted that U.S. actions have not been entirely ineffective.

"Direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia wouldn't have happened without pressure from the United States. And not in the form we're seeing now, where large numbers of prisoners are being exchanged — something clearly more beneficial for Ukraine than for Russia. Russia has no interest in prisoner swaps. This shows that Russia is still making calculated moves so as not to appear like they are simply brushing off the U.S. president's arrogance. They have to show they're doing something," Saks said.

Saks also believes that the U.S. still does not understand the true nature of the conflict between the two countries.

"In that sense, U.S. pressure is present. The problem is rather that the current U.S. administration hasn't grasped the essence of this conflict and doesn't understand that it can't be stopped so easily. To do that, pressure on Russia must be much stronger. And it's clear that President Trump isn't interested in dealing with a prolonged confrontation. He's naturally inclined toward quick deals so that life can move on," the expert said.

In addition, Saks considers the U.S. threats to withdraw from its role as mediator in the peace talks to be mere blackmail — an attempt by Trump to push toward a resolution.

"This is a bit of blackmail, mainly aimed at the Europeans and Russia, because in reality, Russia does need these negotiations and a ceasefire would be beneficial to them. They just believe that, based on the U.S. president's behavior, they can quickly secure a major deal that would be very favorable for them and allow them to get out of the mess they've landed in — and that's exactly what they're aiming for. The U.S. clearly doesn't know how to take advantage of Russia's vulnerable position," Saks said.

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