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

Only a few days after President Trump announced he planned to confer with Russian President Putin in Budapest - "in approximately a fortnight" - the high-level talks has been suspended indefinitely.

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

"I prefer not to have a fruitless discussion," President Trump told the press at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. "I don't want a pointless effort, so I'll see what transpires."

• Donald Trump says he wished to avoid a 'unproductive session' after plan for Putin talks shelved
• Disappointment in Ukraine's capital as President 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 war in the Eastern European nation – a topic of increased attention for the US president after he orchestrated a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal in Gaza.

While making remarks in Egypt recently to commemorate that truce deal, the president addressed his lead diplomatic negotiator, with a new request.

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

Nonetheless, the conditions that aligned to make a Gaza breakthrough possible for Witkoff and his team may be challenging to replicate in a Ukraine war that has been raging for nearing four years.

Less Leverage

Per the lead negotiator, the key to achieving a deal was Israel's move to strike representatives of Hamas in Qatar. It was a action that angered US partners in the Arab world but gave the president bargaining power to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into making a deal.

Trump gained from a history of siding with Israel dating back to his first term, encompassing his choice to relocate the American embassy to the contested city, to alter US policy on the legality of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and, more recently, his support for Israeli defense operations against the Islamic Republic.

The American leader, in fact, is better regarded among Israelis than their prime minister – a situation that gave him unique influence over the nation's head.

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

In the Ukraine war, by contrast, the president has significantly reduced influence. In recent months, he has swung between efforts to strong-arm the Russian president and then the Ukrainian leader, all with minimal visible progress.

Trump has warned to enact new sanctions on Russian energy exports and to supply Ukraine with advanced missile systems. But he has also recognised that such actions could disrupt the global economy and further escalate the conflict.

Meanwhile, the US leader has criticized openly Ukraine's president, temporarily cutting off intelligence-sharing with Ukraine and suspending weapon deliveries to the country - only to then retreat in the wake of worried European partners who warn a defeat of Ukraine could disrupt the whole area.

Trump often boasts about his skill to sit down and negotiate agreements, but his face-to-face meetings with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders haven't seemed to advance the hostilities any nearer a resolution.

The Russian president may in fact be exploiting 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 Trump would sign off on congressional sanctions package backed by Senate Republicans. That legislation was subsequently delayed.

Last week, as reports spread that the US administration was considering seriously shipping long-range missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Kyiv, the Russian leader called the US president who then promoted the possible summit in Budapest.

The next day, the president welcomed Ukraine's leader at the executive residence, but left empty-handed after a reportedly tense meeting.

Trump maintained that he was not being played by Putin.

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

However the president of Ukraine later commented on the sequence of events.

"Once the matter of long-range mobility became a less accessible for us – for Ukraine – Russia quickly became less engaged in diplomacy," he stated.

Thus, in a matter of days, Trump has shifted from considering the idea of sending missiles to Ukraine to organizing a Budapest summit with Russia's leader and privately urging Zelensky to cede all of Donbas – even territory Russian forces has been failed to capture.

He has finally decided on calling for a ceasefire along present frontlines – a proposal the Russian government has refused to accept.

During his election campaign last year, the candidate promised that he could resolve the conflict in Ukraine in a very short time. He has subsequently abandoned that commitment, admitting that concluding 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 establishing a framework for peace when both parties wants, or is able to, cease hostilities.