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Accounts of an impending US-Russia leadership meeting have been greatly exaggerated, apparently.

Only a few days after Donald Trump announced he intended to confer with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Hungarian capital - "within two weeks or so" - the summit has been put off without a new date.

A initial meeting by the two nations' leading diplomats has been cancelled, as well.

"I don't want to have a fruitless discussion," President 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 wished to avoid a 'unproductive session' after arrangement for negotiations with Putin shelved
• Letdown in Kyiv as Zelensky leaves Washington without results

The on-again, off-again meeting is just the latest development in Trump's efforts to mediate an conclusion to hostilities in Ukraine – a subject of increased attention for the US president after he orchestrated a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Palestinian territory.

During a speech in Egypt recently to commemorate that truce deal, Trump turned to Steve Witkoff, with a fresh directive.

"It is essential to get the Russian situation resolved," he said.

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

Less Leverage

According to the lead negotiator, the crucial element to unlocking a deal was Israel's move to attack representatives of Hamas in the Gulf state. It was a action that infuriated America's Arab allies but gave the president bargaining power to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into making a deal.

The US president gained from a long record of supporting Israel dating back to his initial presidency, including his choice to relocate the American embassy to the contested city, to change America's position on the lawfulness of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and, in recent times, his backing for Israeli defense operations against the Islamic Republic.

The American leader, actually, is more popular among the Israeli public than their prime minister – a position that provided him with unique influence over the nation's head.

Add in Trump's connections in politics and business to key Arab players in the region, and he had a wealth of diplomatic muscle to secure an deal.

In the Ukraine war, by contrast, Trump has significantly reduced influence. In recent months, he has swung between efforts to pressure the Russian president and then Zelensky, all with little seeming effect.

Trump has warned to enact new sanctions on Russia's oil and gas sales and to supply the Ukrainian forces with advanced missile systems. But he has also recognised that such actions could disrupt the world's financial stability and intensify the conflict.

At the same time, the US leader has criticized openly Zelensky, halting briefly information exchange with Ukraine and suspending weapon deliveries to the country - only to then retreat 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 hammer out agreements, but his face-to-face meetings with both Putin and Zelensky haven't seemed to move the hostilities any closer to a peaceful end.

Putin may in fact be exploiting Trump's desire for a deal – and belief in direct negotiations - as a means of influencing him.

During the summer, Russia's leader consented to a high-level meeting in the US state at the time when it seemed probable that the president would approve on legislative penalties supported by GOP senators. That legislation was subsequently delayed.

Last week, as reports spread that the White House was considering seriously shipping long-range missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Kyiv, the president of Russia called the US president who then touted the potential summit in Budapest.

The next day, Trump hosted Ukraine's leader at the White House, but departed empty-handed after a allegedly tense meeting.

The US leader maintained that he was not being manipulated by the Russian president.

"You know, I have been manipulated all my life by skilled operators, and I came out really well," he remarked.

But the Ukrainian leader later commented on the sequence of events.

"As soon as the issue of advanced weaponry became a little further away for Ukraine – for our nation – Russia almost automatically became less interested in diplomacy," he stated.

So, in a short period, Trump has shifted from considering the idea of providing weapons to the Eastern European country to organizing a Budapest summit with Putin and confidentially urging the Ukrainian president to surrender all of Donbas – including land Russia has been failed to capture.

He has finally settled on calling for a ceasefire along present frontlines – something the Russian government has refused to accept.

During his election campaign previously, Trump promised that he could end the conflict in Ukraine in a very short time. He has since abandoned that commitment, admitting that concluding the hostilities is turning out more difficult than he expected.

It has been a rare acknowledgement of the constraints of his authority – and the difficulty of finding a framework for peace when both parties wants, or can afford to, give up the fight.