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Reports of an upcoming US-Russia leadership meeting have been greatly exaggerated, apparently.

Only a few days after President Trump announced he intended to meet Russia's leader 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 wasted meeting," Donald Trump informed reporters at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. "I don't want a waste of time, so I will observe what transpires."

• Donald Trump states he did not want a 'wasted meeting' after plan for negotiations with Putin shelved
• Letdown in Ukraine's capital as President Zelensky departs Washington without results

The frequently changing summit is another twist in Trump's efforts to mediate an end to war in Ukraine – a topic of increased attention for the American leader after he arranged a truce and hostage release deal in Gaza.

While making remarks in the North African country last week to celebrate that truce deal, Trump addressed his lead diplomatic negotiator, with a new request.

"It is essential to get the Russian situation done," he declared.

Nonetheless, the circumstances that aligned to make a Gaza breakthrough possible for the negotiation team may be difficult to replicate in a Ukraine war that has been raging for almost several years.

Reduced Influence

According to Witkoff, the key to achieving a agreement was Israel's decision to attack Hamas negotiators in Qatar. It was a action that angered America's Arab allies but provided Trump leverage to compel Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump benefited from a long record of siding with the Israeli state since his first term, encompassing his decision to relocate the American embassy to Jerusalem, to alter America's position on the legality of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, in recent times, his support for Israel's military campaign against Iran.

The US president, in fact, is more popular among Israelis than their prime minister – a position that gave him special sway over the nation's head.

Add in Trump's political and economic ties to influential Arab nations in the area, and he had a abundant diplomatic muscle to secure an agreement.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, on the other hand, Trump has much less influence. In recent months, he has vacillated between attempts to strong-arm the Russian president and then the Ukrainian leader, all with minimal visible progress.

Trump has warned to impose additional penalties on Russian energy exports and to supply Ukraine with advanced missile systems. But he has also acknowledged that such actions could disrupt the global economy and further escalate the conflict.

At the same time, the US leader has publicly berated Zelensky, 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 warn a defeat of Ukraine could destabilise the entire region.

Trump loves to tout his skill to sit down and negotiate deals, but his personal discussions with both Putin and Zelensky have not appeared to advance the hostilities any closer to a peaceful end.

The Russian president may actually be exploiting the US leader's wish for a settlement – and faith in direct negotiations - as a method of manipulating him.

In July, Putin agreed to a summit in Alaska at the time when it seemed probable that Trump would sign off on congressional sanctions package supported by GOP senators. That legislation was afterwards put on hold.

Recently, as reports spread that the US administration was seriously contemplating shipping Tomahawk cruise missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Kyiv, the Russian leader phoned Trump 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.

"As you are aware, I've been played throughout my career by skilled operators, and I came out successfully," he said.

However the Ukrainian leader later commented on the timeline of developments.

"As soon as the matter of advanced weaponry became a little further away for us – for our nation – the Russian side quickly became less interested in negotiations," he said.

So, in a short period, the president has shifted from entertaining the prospect of providing weapons to the Eastern European country to organizing a Budapest summit with Russia's leader and confidentially urging Zelensky to cede the entire Donbas region – even territory Russia has been failed to capture.

He has ultimately decided on calling for a ceasefire along present frontlines – something Russia has rejected.

During his election campaign previously, Trump promised that he could resolve the conflict in Ukraine in a matter of hours. He has since abandoned that commitment, saying that ending the hostilities is turning out harder than he expected.

It has been a uncommon admission of the limits of his power – and the difficulty of finding a peace plan when neither side desires, or can afford to, cease hostilities.