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Accounts of an impending US-Russia leadership summit have been greatly exaggerated, it seems.

Only a few days after Donald Trump announced he planned to meet Russian President Putin in the Hungarian capital - "within two weeks or so" - the summit has been suspended indefinitely.

A preliminary get-together by the two nations' top diplomats has been called off, too.

"I don't want to have a wasted meeting," President Trump told the press at the executive mansion on Tuesday afternoon. "I don't want a pointless effort, so I will observe what happens."

• Donald Trump says he did not want a 'wasted meeting' after arrangement for negotiations with Putin postponed
• Disappointment in Kyiv as President Zelensky departs White House without results

The frequently changing summit is another twist in the president's attempts to mediate an conclusion to hostilities in the Eastern European nation – a topic of renewed focus for the US president after he orchestrated a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in Gaza.

While making remarks in the North African country last week to celebrate that truce deal, the president turned to Steve Witkoff, with a fresh directive.

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

However, the circumstances that aligned to make a Middle East success achievable for the negotiation team may be challenging to duplicate in a Ukraine war that has been ongoing for almost four years.

Less Leverage

Per Witkoff, the crucial element to unlocking a deal was Israel's move to strike Hamas negotiators in Qatar. It was a move that infuriated US partners in the Arab world but provided Trump bargaining power to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump gained from a history of supporting Israel since his first term, encompassing his decision to relocate the American embassy to Jerusalem, to change America's position on the legality of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and, more recently, his support for Israel's military campaign against the Islamic Republic.

The US president, actually, is better regarded among the Israeli public than Netanyahu – a position that gave him special sway over the Israeli leader.

Combine the president's connections in politics and business to influential Arab nations in the region, and he had a wealth of negotiating strength to force an agreement.

In the Ukraine war, by contrast, the president has much less influence. In recent months, he has vacillated between efforts to strong-arm Putin and then Zelensky, all with little seeming effect.

Trump has warned to enact additional penalties on Russia's oil and gas sales and to supply Ukraine with advanced missile systems. But he has also acknowledged that such actions could harm the global economy and further escalate the war.

Meanwhile, the US leader has publicly berated Zelensky, temporarily cutting off intelligence-sharing with the country and suspending weapon deliveries to the nation - only to then retreat in the wake of worried European partners who warn a defeat of Ukraine could disrupt the entire region.

The president often boasts about his skill to sit down and hammer out deals, but his personal discussions with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders haven't seemed to move the war any closer to a peaceful end.

Putin may actually 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 consented to a summit in the US state at the time when it seemed probable that Trump would approve on legislative penalties supported by GOP senators. That bill was afterwards delayed.

Last week, as news emerged that the US administration was seriously contemplating sending long-range missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Kyiv, the president of Russia phoned Trump who then promoted the possible meeting in Budapest.

The following day, Trump hosted Ukraine's leader at the executive residence, but departed without agreements after a reportedly strained discussion.

Trump maintained that he was not being manipulated by the Russian president.

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

However 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 – Russia quickly became less engaged in negotiations," he said.

So, in a matter of days, the president has bounced from considering the idea of sending missiles to Ukraine to organizing a Budapest summit with Putin and confidentially urging Zelensky to cede the entire Donbas region – even territory Russian forces has been failed to capture.

He has finally decided on advocating a truce along current battle lines – a proposal Russia has refused to accept.

During his election campaign previously, Trump promised that he could resolve the Ukraine war in a very short time. He has since discarded that pledge, saying that concluding the hostilities is proving more difficult than he anticipated.

It has been a uncommon admission of the constraints of his authority – and the difficulty of finding a peace plan when both parties wants, or can afford to, give up the fight.