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Accounts of an upcoming US-Russia presidential meeting have been overstated, apparently.

Just days after President Trump announced he intended to meet Russia's leader Putin in Budapest - "within two weeks or so" - the summit has been put off without a new date.

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

"I don't want to have a fruitless discussion," President Trump informed reporters at the White House on a recent weekday. "I don't want a waste of time, so I will observe what transpires."

• Trump states he did not want a 'unproductive session' after arrangement for negotiations with Putin shelved
• Letdown in Kyiv as Zelensky departs White House empty-handed

The on-again, off-again meeting is another twist in the president's attempts to broker an conclusion to war in the Eastern European nation – a topic of renewed focus for the American leader after he arranged a truce and hostage release deal in the Palestinian territory.

While making remarks in Egypt last week to celebrate that ceasefire agreement, Trump turned to Steve Witkoff, with a new request.

"It is essential to get Russia resolved," he said.

However, the conditions that converged to make a Middle East success achievable for Witkoff and his team may be difficult to replicate in a Ukraine war that has been raging for nearing four years.

Less Leverage

According to Witkoff, the key to unlocking a deal was the Israeli government's decision to strike Hamas negotiators in Qatar. It was a action that infuriated America's Arab allies but gave the president leverage to compel Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

The US president benefited from a long record of supporting the Israeli state dating back to his first term, including his choice to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, to alter US policy on the legality of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and, more recently, his backing for Israeli defense operations against Iran.

The American leader, in fact, is more popular among Israelis than Netanyahu – a situation that provided him with special sway over the Israeli leader.

Add in the president's connections in politics and business to influential Arab nations in the area, and he had a abundant negotiating strength to force an deal.

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

The US leader has warned to enact additional penalties on Russian energy exports and to supply the Ukrainian forces with new long-range weapons. But he has also acknowledged that such actions could harm the world's financial stability and further escalate the conflict.

At the same time, the president has criticized openly Ukraine's president, halting briefly intelligence-sharing with the country and pausing arms shipments to the country - then to retreat in the face of concerned European allies who warn a Ukrainian collapse could destabilise the entire region.

Trump often boasts about his skill to sit down and negotiate agreements, but his personal discussions with both Putin and Zelensky have not appeared to advance the war any closer to a resolution.

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

During the summer, Russia's leader agreed to a high-level meeting in the US state just as it appeared likely that Trump would sign off on congressional sanctions package supported by Senate Republicans. That legislation was subsequently put on hold.

Last week, as news emerged that the White House was considering seriously sending Tomahawk cruise missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Ukraine, the Russian leader called Trump who then promoted the potential summit in Hungary.

The following day, the president welcomed Zelensky at the White House, but left empty-handed after a allegedly tense meeting.

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

"As you are aware, I have been manipulated all my life by the best of them, and I emerged really well," he remarked.

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

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

Thus, in a matter of days, the president has shifted from entertaining the prospect of sending missiles to Ukraine to organizing a meeting in Hungary with Putin and privately pressuring Zelensky to cede all of Donbas – including land Russian forces has been unable to conquer.

He has finally settled on advocating a ceasefire along present frontlines – something Russia has refused to accept.

During his election campaign last year, Trump vowed that he could resolve the conflict in Ukraine in a very short time. He has subsequently abandoned that commitment, admitting that ending the hostilities is proving more difficult than he anticipated.

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