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Reports of an impending American-Russian presidential summit have been greatly exaggerated, it seems.

Only a few days after Donald Trump announced he intended to confer with Russia's leader Vladimir Putin in Budapest - "in approximately a fortnight" - the summit has been suspended indefinitely.

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

"I don't want to have a wasted meeting," President Trump informed reporters at the executive mansion on a recent weekday. "I aim to avoid a pointless effort, so I will observe what transpires."

• Trump states he did not want a 'wasted meeting' after arrangement for negotiations with Putin shelved
• Disappointment in Kyiv as Zelensky leaves Washington without results

The frequently changing summit is just the latest twist in the president's attempts to mediate an end to hostilities in Ukraine – a subject of renewed focus for the US president after he orchestrated a truce and hostage release deal in the Palestinian territory.

While making remarks in Egypt recently to celebrate that truce deal, Trump addressed Steve Witkoff, with a fresh directive.

"We have to get Russia done," he declared.

Nonetheless, the circumstances that aligned to make a Middle East success achievable for the negotiation team may be difficult to duplicate in a Ukraine war that has been raging for nearing several years.

Less Leverage

According to Witkoff, the key to unlocking a deal was the Israeli government's decision to strike representatives of Hamas in the Gulf state. It was a move that infuriated US partners in the Arab world but gave Trump leverage to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into making a deal.

Trump gained from a long record of siding with the Israeli state since his initial presidency, including his decision to move the American embassy to the contested city, to change US policy on the lawfulness of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and, more recently, his backing for Israel's military campaign against Iran.

The American leader, in fact, is better regarded among the Israeli public than their prime minister – a situation that provided him with special sway over the nation's head.

Add in Trump's political and economic ties to key Arab players in the region, and he had a abundant negotiating strength to force an agreement.

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

The US leader has threatened to enact new sanctions on Russian energy exports and to supply the Ukrainian forces with new long-range weapons. But he has also recognised that such actions could harm the global economy and further escalate the war.

At the same time, the president has publicly berated Ukraine's president, halting briefly information exchange with the country and pausing arms shipments to the country - then to back off in the wake of worried European partners who warn a Ukrainian collapse could disrupt the entire region.

The president often boasts about his skill to meet and hammer out deals, but his face-to-face meetings with both Putin and Zelensky have not appeared to advance the hostilities any closer to a peaceful end.

Putin may actually be using Trump's desire for a deal – and faith in in-person deal-making - as a method of influencing him.

In July, Putin agreed to a summit in the US state at the time when it seemed probable that the president would sign off on congressional sanctions package backed by GOP senators. That bill was subsequently delayed.

Last week, as news emerged that the White House was considering seriously sending long-range missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Ukraine, the Russian leader phoned the US president who then promoted the potential summit in Hungary.

The following day, Trump hosted Ukraine's leader at the White House, but left empty-handed after a allegedly strained discussion.

Trump maintained that he was not being manipulated by the Russian president.

"You know, 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.

"Once the matter of long-range mobility became a little further away for us – for our nation – Russia almost automatically became less interested in negotiations," he stated.

Thus, in a short period, the president has shifted from entertaining the prospect of sending missiles to the Eastern European country to planning a meeting in Hungary with Russia's leader and privately urging Zelensky to cede all of Donbas – even land Russia has been failed to capture.

He has ultimately decided on advocating a ceasefire along present frontlines – a proposal the Russian government has rejected.

On the campaign trail last year, Trump vowed that he could resolve the conflict in Ukraine in a matter of hours. He has subsequently discarded that commitment, admitting that concluding the war is turning out more difficult than he expected.

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