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Reports of an upcoming US-Russia leadership summit have been greatly exaggerated, it seems.

Just days after President Trump said he intended to confer with Russia's leader Vladimir Putin in the Hungarian capital - "in approximately a fortnight" - the summit has been suspended indefinitely.

A preliminary meeting by the two nations' leading diplomats has been called off, too.

"I don't want to have a wasted meeting," Donald Trump informed the press at the executive mansion on a recent weekday. "I don't want a waste of time, so I'll see what transpires."

• Donald Trump states he did not want a 'wasted meeting' after plan for negotiations with Putin shelved
• Letdown in Ukraine's capital as Zelensky departs White House empty-handed

The frequently changing meeting is just the latest twist in the president's attempts to broker an conclusion to war in Ukraine – a topic of renewed focus for the US president after he orchestrated a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in Gaza.

While making remarks in the North African country recently to commemorate that truce deal, the president turned to his lead diplomatic negotiator, with a fresh directive.

"It is essential to get the Russian situation resolved," he declared.

Nonetheless, the circumstances that converged to make a Middle East success achievable for Witkoff and his team may be difficult to replicate in a conflict in Ukraine that has been ongoing for almost four years.

Reduced Influence

Per Witkoff, the key to unlocking a agreement was Israel's decision to attack representatives of Hamas in the Gulf state. It was a move that angered America's Arab allies but gave the president leverage to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

The US president gained from a history of supporting the Israeli state dating back to his first term, including his decision to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, to change America's position on the legality of Jewish communities in the occupied territories and, more recently, his backing for Israel's military campaign against Iran.

The American leader, in fact, is more popular among the Israeli public than their prime minister – a position that provided him with unique influence over the Israeli leader.

Add in Trump's political and economic ties to influential Arab nations in the region, and he had a wealth of negotiating strength to force an deal.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, on the other hand, Trump has much less leverage. Over the past nine months, he has vacillated between efforts to strong-arm Putin and then Zelensky, all with little seeming effect.

Trump has threatened to enact additional penalties on Russia's oil and gas sales and to supply the Ukrainian forces with advanced missile systems. But he has also acknowledged that such actions could harm the world's financial stability and further escalate the conflict.

Meanwhile, the president has criticized openly Zelensky, halting briefly intelligence-sharing with Ukraine and pausing arms shipments to the country - then to retreat in the wake of concerned European allies who warn a defeat of Ukraine could destabilise the whole area.

The president often boasts about his ability to meet and negotiate agreements, but his personal discussions with both Putin and Zelensky haven't seemed to move the war any nearer a resolution.

The Russian president may in fact be using Trump's desire for a deal – and faith in in-person deal-making - as a means of manipulating him.

In July, Russia's leader consented to a high-level meeting in Alaska just as it appeared likely that the president would approve on congressional sanctions package supported by Senate Republicans. That bill was subsequently put on hold.

Last week, as news emerged that the White House was considering seriously shipping Tomahawk cruise missiles and air defense systems to Kyiv, the Russian leader phoned the US president who then promoted the possible summit in Budapest.

The following day, Trump hosted Zelensky at the White House, but departed empty-handed after a allegedly tense meeting.

The US leader insisted that he was not being manipulated by the Russian president.

"As you are aware, I've been played all my life by skilled operators, and I emerged successfully," he said.

However the president of Ukraine later commented on the timeline of developments.

"As soon as the matter of advanced weaponry became a little further away for us – for Ukraine – the Russian side quickly became less engaged in diplomacy," he said.

So, in a short period, Trump has bounced from considering the idea of sending missiles to Ukraine to planning a Budapest summit with Putin and privately pressuring the Ukrainian president to cede all of Donbas – even land Russian forces has been unable to conquer.

He has ultimately decided on calling for a truce along current battle lines – a proposal the Russian government has refused to accept.

During his election campaign previously, the candidate vowed that he could end the conflict in Ukraine in a very short time. He has subsequently abandoned that commitment, admitting that concluding the hostilities is proving harder than he anticipated.

It has been a uncommon admission of the constraints of his authority – and the difficulty of finding a framework for peace when both parties wants, or can afford to, cease hostilities.