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

Just days after Donald Trump announced he intended to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Hungarian capital - "in approximately a fortnight" - the high-level talks has been suspended indefinitely.

A preliminary get-together by the both countries' leading diplomats has been cancelled, as well.

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

• Trump says he did not want a 'wasted meeting' after arrangement for negotiations with Putin shelved
• Disappointment in Kyiv as Zelensky leaves Washington empty-handed

The frequently changing meeting is another development in Trump's efforts to mediate an end to war in Ukraine – a subject of increased attention for the American leader after he orchestrated a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in the Palestinian territory.

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

"We have to get the Russian situation resolved," he said.

Nonetheless, the conditions that converged to make a Middle East success possible for Witkoff and his team may be difficult to duplicate in a Ukraine war that has been raging for nearing four years.

Reduced Influence

Per the lead negotiator, the crucial element to unlocking a deal was the Israeli government's decision to strike representatives of Hamas in the Gulf state. It was a action that infuriated US partners in the Arab world but provided the president leverage to compel Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into making a deal.

Trump gained from a history of siding with Israel dating back to his initial presidency, encompassing his choice to move the American embassy to the contested city, to alter US policy on the legality of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, in recent times, his backing for Israeli defense operations against the Islamic Republic.

The American leader, actually, is more popular among Israelis than their prime minister – a situation that gave him special sway over the Israeli leader.

Combine the president's connections in politics and business to key Arab players in the area, and he had a abundant negotiating strength to secure an agreement.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, on the other hand, the president has significantly reduced influence. Over the past nine months, he has swung between attempts to strong-arm the Russian president and then the Ukrainian leader, all with minimal visible progress.

Trump has threatened to impose new sanctions on Russian energy exports and to supply the Ukrainian forces with advanced missile systems. But he has also acknowledged that such actions could disrupt the global economy and further escalate the conflict.

Meanwhile, the president has publicly berated Ukraine's president, temporarily cutting off information exchange with the country and pausing weapon deliveries to the nation - then to retreat in the wake of worried European partners who caution a Ukrainian collapse could disrupt the whole area.

The president often boasts about his skill to meet and hammer out agreements, but his face-to-face meetings with both Putin and Zelensky have not appeared to advance the war any nearer a peaceful end.

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

In July, Putin consented to a summit in Alaska just as it appeared likely that the president would approve on legislative penalties backed by Senate Republicans. That bill was subsequently delayed.

Last week, as reports spread that the US administration was seriously contemplating sending Tomahawk cruise missiles and air defense systems to Kyiv, the Russian leader called Trump who then promoted the possible summit in Budapest.

The following day, Trump hosted Ukraine's leader at the White House, but left without agreements after a allegedly tense meeting.

The US leader maintained that he was not being played by Putin.

"As you are aware, I have been manipulated all my life by skilled operators, and I came out really well," he said.

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

"Once the matter of long-range mobility became a little further away for Ukraine – for Ukraine – Russia almost automatically became less interested in negotiations," he said.

Thus, in a short period, Trump has bounced from considering the idea of providing weapons to Ukraine to planning a Budapest summit with Putin and privately urging Zelensky to cede the entire Donbas region – including land Russia has been unable to conquer.

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

During his election campaign previously, the candidate promised that he could end the Ukraine war in a matter of hours. He has subsequently abandoned that commitment, admitting that concluding the hostilities is proving more difficult than he anticipated.

It has been a uncommon admission of the constraints of his power – and the difficulty of finding a peace plan when neither side desires, or can afford to, give up the fight.