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

Only a few days after President Trump announced he planned to confer with Russia's leader Vladimir Putin in the Hungarian capital - "within two weeks or so" - the high-level talks has been suspended indefinitely.

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

"I don't want to have a fruitless discussion," Donald Trump told the press at the executive mansion on Tuesday afternoon. "I aim to avoid a waste of time, so I'll see what happens."

• Donald Trump states he wished to avoid a 'unproductive session' after plan for Putin talks shelved
• Disappointment in Ukraine's capital as President Zelensky departs White House without results

The frequently changing meeting is just the latest development in the president's attempts to mediate an conclusion to hostilities in Ukraine – a topic of renewed focus for the American leader after he orchestrated a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in Gaza.

While making remarks in the North African country recently to commemorate that truce deal, the president addressed Steve Witkoff, with a fresh directive.

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

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

Less Leverage

Per the lead negotiator, the crucial element to unlocking a agreement was Israel's decision to strike Hamas negotiators in Qatar. It was a action that infuriated America's Arab allies but gave Trump bargaining power to compel Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump gained from a long record of siding with Israel dating back to his initial presidency, encompassing his decision to relocate the American embassy to Jerusalem, to alter US policy on the lawfulness of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, more recently, his backing for Israel's military campaign against Iran.

The US president, actually, is better regarded among Israelis than their prime minister – a situation that gave him special sway over the Israeli leader.

Add in the president's political and economic ties to key Arab players in the area, and he had a abundant negotiating strength to secure an deal.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, by contrast, Trump has significantly reduced influence. Over the past nine months, he has swung between efforts to strong-arm Putin and then Zelensky, all with little seeming effect.

Trump has warned to impose additional penalties on Russia's oil and gas sales and to provide Ukraine with advanced missile systems. But he has also recognised that such actions could harm the world's financial stability and further escalate the war.

At the same time, the president has criticized openly Ukraine's president, halting briefly information exchange with Ukraine and suspending weapon deliveries to the country - then to retreat in the wake of concerned European allies who warn a defeat of Ukraine could disrupt the entire region.

The president often boasts about his skill to meet and negotiate deals, but his personal discussions with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders have not appeared to move the war any closer to a peaceful end.

Putin may in fact be exploiting the US leader's wish for a deal – and faith in in-person deal-making - as a means of influencing him.

In July, Putin agreed to a summit in the US state at the time when it seemed probable that Trump would approve on congressional sanctions package supported by Senate Republicans. That legislation was afterwards delayed.

Recently, 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 Trump who then promoted the potential summit in Hungary.

The next day, the president welcomed Ukraine's leader at the White House, but departed without agreements after a reportedly strained discussion.

The US leader maintained that he was not being played by the Russian president.

"You know, I have been manipulated throughout my career by skilled operators, and I came out really well," he remarked.

But the Ukrainian leader subsequently made note of the timeline of developments.

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

So, in a matter of days, the president has bounced from considering the idea of providing weapons to the Eastern European country to organizing a Budapest summit with Russia's leader and privately pressuring Zelensky to cede the entire Donbas region – even territory Russian forces has been failed to capture.

He has ultimately decided on calling for a ceasefire along current battle lines – something the Russian government has rejected.

On the campaign trail previously, the candidate vowed that he could end the conflict in Ukraine in a matter of hours. He has subsequently abandoned that commitment, saying that concluding the war is turning out harder than he expected.

It has been a rare acknowledgement of the constraints of his authority – and the challenge of establishing a framework for peace when neither side wants, or can afford to, cease hostilities.