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

Only a few days after Donald Trump said he intended to meet 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' top diplomats has been called off, as well.

"I prefer not to have a wasted meeting," Donald Trump informed the press at the White House on a recent weekday. "I don't want a pointless effort, so I will observe what transpires."

• Trump says he did not want a 'unproductive session' after arrangement for negotiations with Putin shelved
• Letdown in Kyiv as President Zelensky departs White House without results

The frequently changing meeting is just the latest twist in the president's attempts to mediate an conclusion to hostilities in the Eastern European nation – a topic of renewed focus for the American leader after he arranged a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in Gaza.

During a speech in Egypt last week to commemorate that ceasefire agreement, Trump turned to Steve Witkoff, with a new request.

"We have to get the Russian situation done," he declared.

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

Less Leverage

According to the lead negotiator, the key to achieving a deal was the Israeli government's decision to attack representatives of Hamas in the Gulf state. It was a move that infuriated America's Arab allies but provided Trump bargaining power to compel Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

The US president gained from a history of siding with Israel since his initial presidency, encompassing his choice to relocate the American embassy to the contested city, to alter US policy on the lawfulness of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and, in recent times, his support for Israel's military campaign against the Islamic Republic.

The American leader, in fact, is better regarded among the Israeli public than Netanyahu – a situation that gave him unique influence over the nation's head.

Combine Trump's connections in politics and business to key Arab players in the region, and he had a wealth of negotiating strength to secure an agreement.

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

The US leader has warned to enact additional penalties on Russian energy exports 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 conflict.

Meanwhile, the president has publicly berated Zelensky, temporarily cutting off information exchange with Ukraine and suspending weapon deliveries to the nation - only to then retreat in the wake of concerned European allies who caution a defeat of Ukraine could disrupt the whole area.

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 advance the hostilities any closer to a resolution.

Putin may in fact be exploiting the US leader's wish for a settlement – and faith in direct negotiations - as a means of manipulating him.

In July, Russia's leader agreed to a high-level meeting in Alaska at the time when it appeared likely that Trump would sign off on congressional sanctions package supported by GOP senators. That bill was subsequently delayed.

Recently, 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 the US president who then touted the possible meeting in Hungary.

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

Trump insisted that he was not being played by Putin.

"You know, I have been manipulated all my life by the best of them, and I came out successfully," he remarked.

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

"Once the issue of long-range mobility became a little further away for Ukraine – for our nation – the Russian side quickly became less engaged in diplomacy," he stated.

So, in a short period, the president has bounced from considering the idea of sending missiles to the Eastern European country to organizing a meeting in Hungary with Putin and confidentially pressuring Zelensky to cede the entire Donbas region – even land Russian forces has been failed to capture.

He has finally decided on advocating a truce along present frontlines – a proposal Russia has refused to accept.

On the campaign trail previously, Trump promised that he could resolve the conflict in Ukraine in a matter of hours. He has subsequently abandoned that commitment, saying that ending the hostilities is proving harder than he anticipated.

It has been a uncommon admission of the constraints of his authority – and the difficulty of finding a peace plan when neither side desires, or is able to, cease hostilities.