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

Just days after President Trump announced he intended to confer with Russia's leader Putin in Budapest - "within two weeks or so" - the summit has been suspended indefinitely.

A preliminary get-together by the two nations' leading diplomats has been cancelled, too.

"I prefer not to have a fruitless discussion," President Trump informed reporters at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. "I don't want a waste of time, so I will observe what happens."

• Donald Trump states he wished to avoid a 'unproductive session' after plan for negotiations with Putin shelved
• Disappointment in Ukraine's capital as President Zelensky departs Washington empty-handed

The frequently changing summit is just the latest twist in the president's efforts 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 prisoner exchange deal in the Palestinian territory.

During a speech in the North African country last week to celebrate that truce deal, Trump addressed Steve Witkoff, with a fresh directive.

"We have to get Russia resolved," he declared.

Nonetheless, the conditions that converged to make a Gaza breakthrough achievable for Witkoff and his team may be challenging to duplicate in a Ukraine war that has been raging for nearing several years.

Less Leverage

According to Witkoff, the crucial element to unlocking a agreement was Israel's decision to strike representatives of Hamas in Qatar. It was a action that angered America's Arab allies but provided Trump leverage to compel Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump gained from a long record of siding with Israel since his initial presidency, including his decision to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, to change US policy on the legality of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, more recently, his support for Israeli defense operations against the Islamic Republic.

The American leader, in fact, is better regarded among the Israeli public than their prime minister – a position 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 abundant negotiating strength to force an agreement.

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

Trump has warned to enact new sanctions on Russia's oil and gas sales and to provide the Ukrainian forces with new long-range weapons. But he has also recognised that doing so could harm the world's financial stability and intensify the war.

Meanwhile, the president has publicly berated Ukraine's president, halting briefly intelligence-sharing with the country and pausing arms shipments to the nation - only to then retreat in the face of concerned European allies who caution a Ukrainian collapse could destabilise the whole area.

Trump often boasts about his skill to sit down and hammer out deals, but his personal discussions with both Putin and Zelensky haven't seemed to move the war any nearer a resolution.

The Russian president may in fact be using Trump's desire for a settlement – and belief in in-person deal-making - as a means of manipulating him.

In July, Putin consented to a high-level meeting in Alaska just as it appeared likely that Trump would sign off on legislative penalties supported by Senate Republicans. That bill was subsequently delayed.

Recently, as news emerged that the US administration was considering seriously sending Tomahawk cruise missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Ukraine, the Russian leader called the US president who then promoted the possible summit in Budapest.

The next day, the president hosted Ukraine's leader at the executive residence, but left empty-handed after a reportedly strained discussion.

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

"You know, I've been played throughout my career by the best of them, and I came out successfully," he said.

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

"Once the matter of long-range mobility became a little further away for Ukraine – for Ukraine – the Russian side quickly became less engaged in negotiations," he said.

So, in a matter of days, the president has shifted from entertaining the prospect of providing weapons to the Eastern European country to planning a Budapest summit with Russia's leader and privately urging Zelensky to cede all of Donbas – including land Russia has been unable to conquer.

He has ultimately settled on advocating a ceasefire along present frontlines – a proposal Russia has rejected.

On the campaign trail previously, the candidate vowed that he could end the conflict in Ukraine in a very short time. He has since abandoned that commitment, saying that ending the war is proving more difficult than he expected.

It has been a rare acknowledgement of the limits of his authority – and the difficulty of establishing a peace plan when neither side wants, or can afford to, give up the fight.