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Reports of an impending US-Russia leadership summit have been greatly exaggerated, apparently.

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

A preliminary meeting by the two nations' top diplomats has been called off, as well.

"I don't want to have a wasted meeting," Donald Trump informed the press at the executive mansion on a recent weekday. "I aim to avoid a pointless effort, so I'll see what transpires."

• Donald Trump says he did not want a 'unproductive session' after arrangement for negotiations with Putin shelved
• Letdown in Ukraine's capital as President Zelensky leaves White House without results

The frequently changing summit is just the latest twist in Trump's attempts to broker an end to hostilities in the Eastern European nation – a topic of renewed focus for the US president after he orchestrated a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal in Gaza.

During a speech in the North African country recently to celebrate that truce deal, Trump turned to his lead diplomatic negotiator, with a new request.

"It is essential to get the Russian situation done," he declared.

However, the conditions 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 ongoing for almost four years.

Less Leverage

Per Witkoff, the key to achieving a agreement was the Israeli government's move to attack representatives of Hamas in Qatar. It was a move that angered US partners in the Arab world but provided the president bargaining power to compel Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

The US president benefited from a history of siding with Israel dating back to his initial presidency, including his choice to move the US embassy to the contested city, to alter US policy on the lawfulness of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and, more recently, his support for Israeli defense operations against the Islamic Republic.

The US president, actually, is better regarded among the Israeli public than their prime minister – a position 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 agreement.

In the Ukraine war, on the other hand, Trump has significantly reduced influence. In recent months, he has vacillated between efforts to strong-arm the Russian president and then the Ukrainian leader, all with little seeming effect.

The US leader has warned to enact additional penalties on Russian energy exports and to provide Ukraine with new long-range weapons. But he has also recognised that such actions could harm the world's financial stability and further escalate the conflict.

Meanwhile, the president has criticized openly Zelensky, temporarily cutting off information exchange with the country and suspending weapon deliveries to the country - then to retreat in the wake of concerned European allies who warn a Ukrainian collapse could destabilise the whole area.

Trump loves to tout his skill to meet 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 peaceful end.

The Russian president may actually be using Trump's desire 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 just as it seemed probable that the president would approve on legislative penalties supported by GOP senators. That legislation was subsequently delayed.

Recently, as news emerged that the US administration was seriously contemplating sending long-range missiles and air defense systems to Kyiv, the Russian leader called Trump who then touted the potential meeting in Budapest.

The following day, Trump welcomed Zelensky at the White House, but left without agreements after a reportedly tense meeting.

Trump maintained that he was not being played by Putin.

"As you are aware, I have been manipulated throughout my career by the best of them, and I came out successfully," he remarked.

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

"As soon as the issue of advanced weaponry became a little further away for Ukraine – for our nation – the Russian side almost automatically became less engaged in negotiations," he said.

So, in a short period, the president has bounced from considering the idea of providing weapons to Ukraine 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 settled on advocating a truce along current battle lines – a proposal Russia has refused to accept.

On the campaign trail previously, Trump vowed that he could resolve the conflict in Ukraine in a very short time. He has since abandoned that pledge, saying that ending the hostilities is turning out harder than he anticipated.

It has been a rare acknowledgement of the constraints of his authority – and the difficulty of finding a framework for peace when both parties wants, or is able to, cease hostilities.