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Accounts of an impending US-Russia leadership meeting have been overstated, it seems.

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

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

"I don't want to have a fruitless discussion," President Trump informed reporters at the executive mansion on Tuesday afternoon. "I aim to avoid a pointless effort, so I will observe what happens."

• Trump says he did not want a 'unproductive session' after plan for Putin talks postponed
• Disappointment in Ukraine's capital as President Zelensky leaves Washington empty-handed

The on-again, off-again summit is another twist in Trump's attempts to mediate an end to war in Ukraine – a topic of increased attention for the American leader after he arranged a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in the Palestinian territory.

While making remarks in the North African country last week to commemorate 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.

Nonetheless, the conditions that converged 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 almost four years.

Reduced Influence

According to Witkoff, the crucial element to achieving a deal was Israel's decision to attack representatives of Hamas in Qatar. It was a action that infuriated US partners in the Arab world but provided Trump leverage to compel Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

The US president gained from a history of supporting Israel since his first term, including his choice to move the US 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 the Islamic Republic.

The American leader, actually, is better regarded among Israelis than Netanyahu – a situation that provided him with unique influence over the Israeli leader.

Combine Trump's connections in politics and business to influential Arab nations in the region, and he had a wealth of 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 attempts to strong-arm Putin and then the Ukrainian leader, all with minimal visible progress.

The US leader has warned to enact new sanctions on Russia's oil and gas sales and to supply the Ukrainian forces with advanced missile systems. But he has also acknowledged that such actions could harm the world's financial stability and further escalate the war.

Meanwhile, the US leader has criticized openly Ukraine's president, halting briefly information exchange with the country and pausing arms shipments to the country - only to then back off in the face of concerned European allies who warn a defeat of Ukraine could destabilise the whole area.

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

Putin may actually be using Trump's desire for a deal – and faith in direct negotiations - as a means of manipulating him.

During the summer, Russia's leader agreed to a high-level meeting in Alaska at the time when it appeared likely that Trump would approve on congressional sanctions package supported by Senate Republicans. That bill was subsequently delayed.

Recently, as news emerged that the US administration was seriously contemplating shipping Tomahawk cruise missiles and air defense systems to Kyiv, the Russian leader called Trump who then touted the possible summit in Hungary.

The following day, Trump welcomed Zelensky at the executive residence, but left empty-handed after a allegedly strained discussion.

Trump insisted that he was not being played by Putin.

"You know, I've been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out really well," he remarked.

But the president of Ukraine later made note of the sequence of events.

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

Thus, in a short period, the president has bounced from considering the idea of sending missiles to Ukraine to organizing a Budapest summit with Russia's leader and privately pressuring Zelensky to surrender all of Donbas – even land Russian forces has been failed to capture.

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

During his election campaign last year, the candidate vowed that he could end the conflict in Ukraine in a very short time. He has since discarded that commitment, admitting that ending the war is turning out more difficult than he expected.

It has been a uncommon admission of the limits of his power – and the difficulty of finding a framework for peace when both parties desires, or can afford to, give up the fight.