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Reports of an upcoming US-Russia presidential summit have been overstated, apparently.

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

A initial get-together by the two nations' leading diplomats has been cancelled, too.

"I prefer not to have a fruitless discussion," Donald Trump informed the press at the executive mansion on Tuesday afternoon. "I don't want a waste of time, so I'll see what transpires."

• Trump states he did not want a 'wasted meeting' after arrangement for negotiations with Putin shelved
• Disappointment in Ukraine's capital as President Zelensky departs White House without results

The frequently changing meeting is another development in Trump's attempts to broker an end to hostilities in Ukraine – a subject of renewed focus for the US president after he arranged a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal in Gaza.

While making remarks in Egypt last week to celebrate that ceasefire agreement, the president addressed Steve Witkoff, with a new request.

"It is essential to get Russia resolved," he declared.

Nonetheless, the conditions that converged to make a Gaza breakthrough possible for the negotiation team may be challenging to replicate in a Ukraine war that has been raging for nearing several years.

Less Leverage

According to Witkoff, the crucial element to achieving a agreement was the Israeli government's decision to attack Hamas negotiators in the Gulf state. It was a move that angered America's Arab allies but gave the president leverage to compel Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump benefited from a long record of siding with the Israeli state dating back to his first term, including his decision to move the US embassy to the contested city, to change America's position on the lawfulness of Jewish communities in the occupied territories and, in recent times, his support for Israel's military campaign against the Islamic Republic.

The US president, in fact, is more popular among Israelis than their prime minister – a position that provided him with special sway over the Israeli leader.

Add in Trump's political and economic ties to key Arab players in the region, and he had a abundant diplomatic muscle to force an deal.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, on the other hand, Trump has significantly reduced leverage. In recent months, he has vacillated between efforts to strong-arm the Russian president and then the Ukrainian leader, all with minimal visible progress.

Trump has warned to impose additional penalties on Russia's oil and gas sales and to supply Ukraine with new long-range weapons. But he has also acknowledged that doing so could disrupt the global economy and intensify the conflict.

At the same time, the president has criticized openly Zelensky, temporarily cutting off information exchange with Ukraine and pausing arms shipments to the country - then to back off in the wake of worried European partners who caution a Ukrainian collapse could disrupt the entire region.

The president often boasts about his ability to meet and negotiate agreements, but his personal discussions with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders haven't seemed to move the hostilities any closer to a peaceful end.

The Russian president may actually be exploiting the US leader's wish for a deal – and faith in direct negotiations - as a means of manipulating him.

In July, Putin agreed to a summit in the US state at the time when it seemed probable that Trump would approve on congressional sanctions package supported by GOP senators. That legislation was subsequently delayed.

Last week, as reports spread that the White House was seriously contemplating sending long-range missiles and air defense systems to Ukraine, the Russian leader called Trump who then touted the possible summit in Budapest.

The next day, the president hosted Ukraine's leader at the White House, but left without agreements after a reportedly tense meeting.

Trump insisted that he was not being played by Putin.

"You know, I have been manipulated all my life by skilled operators, and I came out successfully," he said.

But the Ukrainian leader subsequently commented on the timeline of developments.

"As soon as the matter of long-range mobility became a little further away for Ukraine – for our nation – the Russian side almost automatically became less engaged in negotiations," he stated.

Thus, in a matter of days, Trump has shifted from entertaining the prospect of providing weapons to the Eastern European country to planning a Budapest summit with Putin and privately pressuring the Ukrainian president to cede all of Donbas – even land Russia has been unable to conquer.

He has ultimately decided on advocating a ceasefire along present frontlines – a proposal Russia has rejected.

During his election campaign last year, Trump promised that he could end the conflict in Ukraine in a matter of hours. He has since abandoned that commitment, admitting that concluding the war is proving more difficult than he expected.

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