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Reports of an upcoming US-Russia leadership summit have been greatly exaggerated, it seems.

Only a few days after President Trump said he planned to confer with Russia's leader Putin in the Hungarian capital - "within two weeks or so" - the summit has been put off without a new date.

A preliminary meeting by the both countries' leading diplomats has been cancelled, too.

"I don't want to have a fruitless discussion," Donald Trump informed the press at the executive mansion on a recent weekday. "I don't want a waste of time, so I'll see what happens."

• Trump states he did not want a 'unproductive session' after arrangement for Putin talks shelved
• Disappointment in Kyiv as President Zelensky departs White House empty-handed

The on-again, off-again summit is just the latest development in Trump's attempts to broker an conclusion to hostilities in Ukraine – a subject of increased attention for the American leader after he arranged a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in the Palestinian territory.

During a speech in the North African country last week to commemorate that ceasefire agreement, the president addressed Steve Witkoff, with a fresh directive.

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

Nonetheless, the conditions that converged to make a Middle East success achievable for the negotiation team may be challenging to replicate in a conflict in Ukraine that has been ongoing for almost several years.

Reduced Influence

According to Witkoff, the crucial element to achieving a deal was Israel's move to attack Hamas negotiators in Qatar. It was a move that angered US partners in the Arab world but gave the president bargaining power to compel Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

The US president benefited from a history of siding with Israel dating back to his first term, including his decision to relocate the US embassy to the contested city, to change US policy on the legality of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, in recent times, his support for Israeli defense operations against Iran.

The US president, actually, is more popular among Israelis than their prime minister – a situation that gave him unique influence over the nation's head.

Add in the president's connections in politics and business to influential Arab nations in the area, and he had a wealth of diplomatic muscle to force an agreement.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, by contrast, the president has significantly reduced influence. In recent months, he has vacillated between attempts to pressure the Russian president and then Zelensky, all with minimal visible progress.

Trump has threatened to impose additional penalties on Russia's oil and gas sales and to provide the Ukrainian forces with advanced missile systems. But he has also acknowledged that doing so could disrupt the world's financial stability and intensify the war.

Meanwhile, the president has publicly berated Zelensky, temporarily cutting off information exchange with the country and suspending arms shipments to the nation - then to back off in the wake of worried European partners who warn a defeat of Ukraine could disrupt the whole area.

Trump loves to tout his skill to meet and negotiate agreements, but his personal discussions with both Putin and Zelensky have not appeared to move the war any nearer a resolution.

Putin may actually be using the US leader's wish for a deal – 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 seemed probable that the president would sign off on legislative penalties backed by GOP senators. That legislation was subsequently put on hold.

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

The next day, the president hosted Zelensky at the executive residence, but left without agreements after a reportedly strained discussion.

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

"You know, I've been played throughout my career by skilled operators, and I came out really well," he said.

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

"As soon as the issue of advanced weaponry became a little further away for Ukraine – for Ukraine – Russia quickly became less engaged in negotiations," he said.

Thus, in a matter of days, the president has bounced from entertaining the prospect of sending missiles to the Eastern European country to organizing a meeting in Hungary with Russia's leader and privately pressuring the Ukrainian president to cede the entire Donbas region – including land Russia has been unable to conquer.

He has finally decided on calling for a truce along present frontlines – something Russia has refused to accept.

On the campaign trail previously, Trump vowed that he could resolve the Ukraine war in a matter of hours. He has since discarded that pledge, admitting that concluding the war is proving more difficult than he anticipated.

It has been a uncommon admission of the limits of his power – and the difficulty of finding a framework for peace when neither side desires, or is able to, cease hostilities.