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Reports of an upcoming American-Russian leadership meeting have been greatly exaggerated, it seems.

Just days after President Trump said he planned to meet Russia's leader Putin in the Hungarian capital - "within two weeks or so" - the high-level talks has been suspended indefinitely.

A preliminary get-together by the both countries' top diplomats has been called off, as well.

"I prefer not to have a fruitless discussion," Donald Trump told reporters at the executive mansion on a recent weekday. "I don't want a pointless effort, so I'll see what happens."

• Trump says he wished to avoid a 'wasted meeting' after plan for negotiations with Putin postponed
• Letdown in Kyiv as Zelensky departs Washington without results

The on-again, off-again summit is just the latest development in the president's efforts to mediate an end to hostilities in the Eastern European nation – a subject of increased attention for the US president after he arranged a truce and hostage release agreement in the Palestinian territory.

During a speech in the North African country recently to celebrate that ceasefire agreement, the president turned to his lead diplomatic negotiator, with a new request.

"We have to get the Russian situation done," he said.

However, the circumstances that converged to make a Gaza breakthrough achievable for Witkoff and his team may be challenging to replicate in a Ukraine war that has been raging for nearing four years.

Less Leverage

According to Witkoff, the key to unlocking a agreement was Israel's decision to strike representatives of Hamas in the Gulf state. It was a move that angered US partners in the Arab world but gave the president leverage to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

The US president benefited from a history of supporting Israel since his initial presidency, including his decision to relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem, to alter US policy on the lawfulness of Jewish communities in the occupied territories and, in recent times, his backing for Israeli defense operations against the Islamic Republic.

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

Combine Trump's political and economic ties to influential Arab nations in the area, and he had a abundant diplomatic muscle to secure an deal.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, by contrast, the president has much less influence. In recent months, he has swung between efforts to strong-arm the Russian president and then Zelensky, all with little seeming effect.

The US leader has warned to enact additional penalties on Russian energy exports and to provide the Ukrainian forces with advanced missile systems. But he has also recognised that doing so could harm the world's financial stability and intensify the conflict.

At the same time, the president has criticized openly Zelensky, temporarily cutting off information exchange with the country and pausing weapon deliveries to the nation - then to retreat in the face of concerned European allies who caution a defeat of Ukraine could disrupt the entire region.

The president loves to tout his ability to meet and negotiate deals, but his personal discussions with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders haven't seemed to advance the war any nearer a peaceful end.

The Russian president may in fact be using the US leader's wish for a deal – and belief in direct negotiations - as a method of influencing him.

In July, Russia's leader 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 Senate Republicans. That bill was afterwards put on hold.

Recently, as news emerged that the White House was considering seriously sending Tomahawk cruise missiles and air defense systems to Ukraine, the Russian leader phoned Trump who then touted the possible summit in Budapest.

The following day, Trump hosted Zelensky at the executive residence, but left without agreements after a reportedly strained discussion.

Trump insisted that he was not being manipulated by Putin.

"You know, I have been manipulated all my life by the best of them, and I came out really well," he said.

But the president of Ukraine subsequently made note of the timeline of developments.

"As soon as the issue of long-range mobility became a less accessible for us – for our nation – the Russian side quickly became less interested in diplomacy," he said.

So, in a matter of days, Trump has shifted from entertaining the prospect of sending missiles to the Eastern European country to planning a meeting in Hungary with Putin and privately urging Zelensky to cede the entire Donbas region – including land Russian forces has been failed to capture.

He has finally decided on advocating a ceasefire along current battle lines – something the Russian government has rejected.

On the campaign trail previously, the candidate promised that he could resolve the Ukraine war in a very short time. He has subsequently abandoned that pledge, saying that ending the war is turning out harder than he anticipated.

It has been a rare acknowledgement of the limits of his authority – and the difficulty of finding a framework for peace when both parties wants, or can afford to, give up the fight.