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Accounts of an upcoming US-Russia leadership summit have been greatly exaggerated, apparently.

Only a few days after Donald Trump said he planned to confer with Russian President Putin in Budapest - "in approximately a fortnight" - the summit has been put off without a new date.

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

"I prefer not to have a wasted meeting," Donald Trump told reporters at the executive mansion on Tuesday afternoon. "I aim to avoid a waste of time, so I'll see what transpires."

• Donald Trump says he wished to avoid a 'wasted meeting' after plan for Putin talks postponed
• Disappointment in Ukraine's capital as President Zelensky departs White House empty-handed

The on-again, off-again meeting is just the latest twist in Trump's efforts to mediate an conclusion to war in Ukraine – a topic of renewed focus for the American leader after he orchestrated a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in the Palestinian territory.

While making remarks in Egypt last week to celebrate that truce deal, Trump turned to Steve Witkoff, with a fresh directive.

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

However, the conditions that converged to make a Gaza breakthrough achievable for the negotiation team may be difficult to replicate in a Ukraine war that has been raging for nearing four years.

Less Leverage

According to Witkoff, the crucial element to achieving a deal was Israel's decision to attack Hamas negotiators in the Gulf state. It was a move that infuriated US partners in the Arab world but provided the president bargaining power to compel Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into making a deal.

Trump gained from a long record of supporting the Israeli state dating back to his initial presidency, including his decision to relocate the US embassy to the contested city, to change America's position on the legality of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, more recently, his support for Israeli defense operations against Iran.

The US president, in fact, is more popular among the Israeli public 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 key Arab players in the region, and he had a abundant diplomatic muscle to force an deal.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, by contrast, Trump has significantly reduced influence. Over the past nine months, he has vacillated between efforts to pressure the Russian president and then the Ukrainian leader, all with minimal visible progress.

The US leader has warned to impose new sanctions on Russia's oil and gas sales and to supply Ukraine with new long-range weapons. But he has also acknowledged that doing so could disrupt the global economy and intensify the war.

Meanwhile, the president has criticized openly Ukraine's president, temporarily cutting off intelligence-sharing with Ukraine and pausing weapon deliveries to the nation - then to back off in the wake of worried European partners who caution a defeat of Ukraine could disrupt the entire region.

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

Putin may actually be using the US leader's wish for a settlement – and belief in in-person deal-making - as a method of manipulating him.

During the summer, Putin agreed to a summit in Alaska just as it seemed probable that Trump would sign off on congressional sanctions package backed by Senate Republicans. That bill was afterwards put on hold.

Last week, as reports spread that the White House was seriously contemplating shipping long-range missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Kyiv, the president of Russia called Trump who then touted the potential summit in Budapest.

The following day, Trump welcomed Ukraine's leader at the White House, but departed empty-handed after a allegedly strained discussion.

Trump maintained that he was not being manipulated by Putin.

"As you are aware, I've been played throughout my career by skilled operators, and I came out successfully," he remarked.

However the president of Ukraine subsequently commented on the timeline of developments.

"As soon as the matter of long-range mobility became a less accessible for Ukraine – for our nation – the Russian side quickly became less interested in negotiations," he stated.

Thus, in a short period, Trump has bounced from entertaining the prospect of sending missiles to Ukraine to organizing a meeting in Hungary with Putin and privately pressuring the Ukrainian president to cede all of Donbas – including land Russia has been failed to capture.

He has finally settled on calling for a truce along current battle lines – something Russia has refused to accept.

During his election campaign last year, Trump vowed that he could resolve the Ukraine war in a very short time. He has since abandoned that pledge, saying that concluding the war is turning out more difficult than he expected.

It has been a uncommon admission of the limits of his power – and the challenge of establishing a framework for peace when both parties wants, or is able to, cease hostilities.