President Trump is stepping up pressure on Vladimir Putin in his first days in office, trying to force the Russian leader to come to the negotiating table to reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine.. Just over 48 hours after returning to the White House, Trump said Putin was "

Trump's threat to Putin is the first step in Trump's efforts to show that his policy of "

The President has already achieved his first diplomatic successes in the Middle East. But Trump said resolving Russia's war in Ukraine is more difficult than in the Middle East..

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If Trump wants to exert leverage over Russia, he will need unity with Europe, said Sam Green, director of democratic resilience at the Center for European Policy Analysis, a Washington-based think tank.. That could prove challenging if he follows through on his promise to impose high tariffs on the continent.

" It's possible that Trump, Waltz and Rubio - and whoever is important in foreign policy - will come to the table and identify all the overlapping interests and start setting priorities,"

Greene also believes that Putin could probably "

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Kelly adds that Putin may have been damaged by the war, but he is " After all, the Russian leader used domestic military production to support the economy and relied on a network of countries to circumvent international sanctions, such as China, India, Iran and North Korea.

CNN analysts previously noted that Trump's threats could play into Moscow's hands, giving Putin the opportunity to use any ceasefire to consolidate his territorial gains and restore military resources. Experts also point out that Trump's ultimatum looks more like placating "