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Accounts of an upcoming American-Russian leadership summit have been overstated, apparently.

Just days after Donald Trump said he planned to confer with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Hungarian capital - "in approximately a fortnight" - the summit has been suspended indefinitely.

A initial meeting by the two nations' top diplomats has been called off, too.

"I prefer not to have a wasted meeting," Donald Trump informed reporters at the executive mansion on a recent weekday. "I aim to avoid a pointless effort, so I'll see what transpires."

• Trump says he wished to avoid a 'wasted meeting' after plan for Putin talks postponed
• Disappointment in Ukraine's capital as President Zelensky leaves White House without results

The frequently changing meeting is just the latest development in the president's efforts to mediate an conclusion to hostilities in the Eastern European nation – a subject of increased attention for the American leader after he orchestrated a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Palestinian territory.

During a speech in Egypt recently to celebrate that truce deal, the president addressed his lead diplomatic negotiator, with a fresh directive.

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

However, the conditions that converged to make a Gaza breakthrough possible for Witkoff and his team may be challenging to duplicate in a Ukraine war that has been raging for nearing four years.

Reduced Influence

Per the lead negotiator, the key to unlocking a deal was the Israeli government's decision to attack Hamas negotiators in Qatar. It was a move that infuriated US partners in the Arab world but gave Trump leverage to pressure Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump gained from a long record of siding with the Israeli state since his initial presidency, including his choice to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, to alter US policy on the lawfulness of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and, more recently, his backing for Israel's military campaign against Iran.

The American leader, actually, is more popular among the Israeli public than Netanyahu – a situation that gave him unique influence over the nation's head.

Add in the president's political and economic ties to key Arab players in the area, and he had a abundant diplomatic muscle to force an deal.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, by contrast, the president has much less influence. In recent months, he has swung between attempts to pressure Putin and then Zelensky, all with little seeming effect.

Trump has warned to enact new sanctions on Russia's oil and gas sales and to provide the Ukrainian forces with new long-range weapons. But he has also recognised that such actions could disrupt the global economy and further escalate the war.

At the same time, the US leader has publicly berated Zelensky, halting briefly intelligence-sharing with Ukraine and pausing 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.

The president loves to tout his skill to meet and hammer out agreements, but his personal discussions with both Putin and Zelensky have not appeared to move the war any nearer a resolution.

Putin may actually be using Trump's desire for a settlement – and belief in direct negotiations - as a means of influencing him.

During the summer, Russia's leader agreed to a high-level meeting in the US state at the time when it seemed probable that Trump would approve on congressional sanctions package supported by GOP senators. That legislation was subsequently put on hold.

Last week, as reports spread that the US administration was considering seriously sending long-range missiles and air defense systems to Kyiv, the president of Russia phoned the US president who then promoted the potential summit in Hungary.

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

Trump insisted that he was not being played by Putin.

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

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

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

So, in a matter of days, Trump has bounced from entertaining the prospect of sending missiles to the Eastern European country to planning a meeting in Hungary with Putin and privately urging the Ukrainian president to surrender the entire Donbas region – including land Russia has been failed to capture.

He has ultimately settled on advocating a truce along present frontlines – something the Russian government has refused to accept.

During his election campaign previously, the candidate promised that he could resolve the Ukraine war in a matter of hours. He has since abandoned that pledge, saying that ending the hostilities is proving harder than he anticipated.

It has been a uncommon admission of the limits of his power – and the difficulty of establishing a framework for peace when neither side wants, or can afford to, cease hostilities.