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Reports of an upcoming American-Russian leadership summit have been greatly exaggerated, apparently.

Only a few days after President Trump announced he planned to meet Russian President Putin in Budapest - "within two weeks or so" - the high-level talks has been suspended indefinitely.

A preliminary get-together by the two nations' leading diplomats has been called off, as well.

"I don't want to have a wasted meeting," President Trump told 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 says he wished to avoid a 'unproductive session' after plan for Putin talks postponed
• Letdown in Kyiv as President Zelensky departs Washington empty-handed

The on-again, off-again summit is just the latest development in Trump's efforts to mediate an end to hostilities in the Eastern European nation – a topic of renewed focus for the American leader after he orchestrated a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in Gaza.

During a speech in Egypt last week to commemorate that ceasefire agreement, Trump turned to his lead diplomatic negotiator, with a fresh directive.

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

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

Less Leverage

According to Witkoff, the key to achieving a deal was Israel's decision to attack representatives of Hamas in the Gulf state. It was a move that angered US partners in the Arab world but gave Trump leverage to compel Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

The US president gained from a long record of supporting the Israeli state dating back to his first term, including his decision to relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem, to alter US policy on the legality of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, in recent times, his support for Israeli defense operations against the Islamic Republic.

The American leader, actually, is more popular among Israelis than Netanyahu – a situation that gave him special sway over the Israeli leader.

Combine Trump's connections in politics and business to influential Arab nations in the region, and he had a abundant diplomatic muscle to secure an deal.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, on the other hand, Trump has significantly reduced leverage. In recent months, he has swung between efforts to pressure the Russian president and then the Ukrainian leader, all with little seeming effect.

The US leader has warned to enact new sanctions on Russian energy exports and to provide Ukraine with advanced missile systems. But he has also recognised that doing so could disrupt the world's financial stability and further escalate the conflict.

At the same time, the president has publicly berated Ukraine's president, temporarily cutting off intelligence-sharing with the country and pausing weapon deliveries to the nation - then to back off in the wake of concerned European allies who warn a defeat of Ukraine could disrupt the whole area.

Trump loves to tout his ability to meet and negotiate agreements, but his face-to-face meetings with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders have not appeared to advance the war any closer to a peaceful end.

Putin may actually be exploiting the US leader's wish for a deal – and belief in in-person deal-making - as a method of manipulating him.

During the summer, Putin consented to a summit in the US state at the time when it appeared likely that the president would approve on legislative penalties supported by GOP senators. That legislation was afterwards put on hold.

Recently, as reports spread that the US administration was considering seriously sending long-range missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Ukraine, the Russian leader called Trump who then promoted the potential meeting in Budapest.

The following day, Trump hosted Ukraine's leader at the executive residence, but departed without agreements after a reportedly tense meeting.

The US leader insisted that he was not being manipulated by Putin.

"You know, I've been played all my life by the best of them, and I emerged really well," he remarked.

But the president of Ukraine subsequently made note of the sequence of events.

"As soon as the issue of advanced weaponry became a less accessible for Ukraine – for our nation – Russia quickly became less interested in diplomacy," he stated.

So, in a short period, the president has shifted from entertaining the prospect of sending missiles to the Eastern European country to organizing a meeting in Hungary with Putin and confidentially pressuring Zelensky to cede all of Donbas – including territory Russia has been unable to conquer.

He has finally settled on calling for a truce along present frontlines – something the Russian government has rejected.

On the campaign trail previously, the candidate promised that he could end the Ukraine war in a very short time. He has subsequently discarded that pledge, saying that ending the hostilities is proving more difficult than he expected.

It has been a rare acknowledgement of the constraints of his power – and the challenge of finding a framework for peace when both parties desires, or can afford to, give up the fight.