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

Only a few days after President Trump announced he intended to meet Russian President Putin in Budapest - "in approximately a fortnight" - the high-level talks has been put off without a new date.

A preliminary get-together by the both countries' leading diplomats has been cancelled, as well.

"I prefer not to have a wasted meeting," President Trump informed the press at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. "I aim to avoid a waste of time, so I will observe what happens."

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

The frequently changing meeting is another development in Trump's efforts to mediate an conclusion to hostilities in Ukraine – a topic of increased attention for the American leader after he orchestrated a truce and hostage release agreement in Gaza.

While making remarks in Egypt recently to celebrate that truce deal, Trump addressed 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 Middle East success possible for the negotiation team may be challenging to duplicate in a Ukraine war that has been ongoing for nearing four years.

Less Leverage

According to the lead negotiator, the crucial element to achieving a agreement was Israel's decision to strike Hamas negotiators in the Gulf state. It was a action that angered US partners in the Arab world but gave the president leverage to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into making a deal.

The US president gained from a history of supporting the Israeli state since his initial presidency, including his choice to relocate the American embassy to Jerusalem, to alter US policy on the legality of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and, in recent times, his support for Israeli defense operations against the Islamic Republic.

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

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

In the Ukraine war, on the other hand, Trump has much less leverage. In recent months, he has vacillated between efforts to strong-arm Putin and then the Ukrainian leader, all with little seeming effect.

The US leader has warned to impose additional penalties on Russian energy exports and to supply Ukraine with advanced missile systems. But he has also recognised that such actions could harm the world's financial stability and further escalate the conflict.

Meanwhile, the US leader has publicly berated Zelensky, temporarily cutting off information exchange with Ukraine and suspending weapon deliveries to the country - then to back off in the face of worried European partners who warn a defeat of Ukraine could destabilise the whole area.

Trump loves to tout his skill to sit down and hammer out agreements, but his personal discussions with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders haven't seemed to move the war any nearer a resolution.

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

In July, Russia's leader agreed to a high-level meeting in the US state just as it appeared likely that Trump would approve on congressional sanctions package supported by GOP senators. That bill was subsequently delayed.

Last week, as reports spread that the US administration was considering seriously sending Tomahawk cruise missiles and air defense systems to Kyiv, the president of Russia phoned the US president who then promoted the possible summit in Budapest.

The following day, the president welcomed Zelensky at the executive residence, but left empty-handed after a reportedly strained discussion.

Trump insisted that he was not being played by the Russian president.

"As you are aware, I have been manipulated throughout my career by the best of them, and I emerged successfully," he said.

But the president of Ukraine later made note of the timeline of developments.

"Once the issue of advanced weaponry became a less accessible for Ukraine – for Ukraine – Russia quickly became less interested in diplomacy," he said.

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 Russia's leader and confidentially urging the Ukrainian president to cede all of Donbas – including territory Russia has been unable to conquer.

He has finally settled on calling for a ceasefire along present frontlines – something Russia has rejected.

On the campaign trail previously, the candidate vowed that he could end the Ukraine war in a very short time. He has since discarded that pledge, saying that concluding the war is proving harder than he expected.

It has been a rare acknowledgement of the limits of his power – and the challenge of establishing a peace plan when neither side wants, or can afford to, cease hostilities.