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Accounts of an impending American-Russian presidential summit have been overstated, it seems.

Just days after Donald Trump said he planned to meet Russia's leader Vladimir Putin in Budapest - "within two weeks or so" - the summit has been suspended indefinitely.

A initial meeting by the both countries' top diplomats has been cancelled, as well.

"I prefer not to have a wasted meeting," Donald Trump informed reporters at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. "I aim to avoid a waste of time, so I'll see what transpires."

• Donald Trump says he did not want a 'wasted meeting' after plan for Putin talks postponed
• Letdown in Kyiv as Zelensky departs White House empty-handed

The frequently changing meeting is another development in Trump's efforts to mediate an end to hostilities in the Eastern European nation – a topic of increased attention for the American leader after he orchestrated a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza.

During a speech in the North African country last week to commemorate that truce deal, Trump addressed Steve Witkoff, with a fresh directive.

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

Nonetheless, the circumstances that aligned to make a Middle East success achievable for Witkoff and his team may be difficult to replicate in a Ukraine war that has been ongoing for almost several years.

Reduced Influence

According to the lead negotiator, the crucial element to achieving a agreement was the Israeli government's decision to attack Hamas negotiators in the Gulf state. It was a move that infuriated US partners in the Arab world but gave Trump bargaining power to pressure Israel's leader Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump benefited from a history of supporting Israel dating back to his initial presidency, encompassing his decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, to change America's position on the lawfulness of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and, more recently, his backing for Israel's military campaign against the Islamic Republic.

The American leader, in fact, is better regarded among the Israeli public than their prime minister – a position that provided him with special sway over the Israeli leader.

Combine Trump's political and economic ties to key Arab players in the region, and he had a abundant diplomatic muscle to force an agreement.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, on the other hand, Trump has significantly reduced leverage. Over the past nine months, he has vacillated between efforts to strong-arm the Russian president and then the Ukrainian leader, all with minimal visible progress.

The US leader has threatened to enact additional penalties on Russian energy exports and to supply the Ukrainian forces with new long-range weapons. But he has also recognised that doing so could harm the global economy and intensify the conflict.

Meanwhile, the US leader has criticized openly Ukraine's president, temporarily cutting off intelligence-sharing with the country and pausing weapon deliveries to the country - only to then back off in the wake of concerned European allies who caution a Ukrainian collapse could disrupt the whole area.

Trump loves to tout his skill to meet and hammer out deals, but his face-to-face meetings with both Putin and Zelensky haven't seemed to move the war any nearer a resolution.

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

During the summer, Russia's leader consented to a summit in Alaska at the time when it seemed probable that the president would sign off on congressional sanctions package supported by Senate Republicans. That legislation was afterwards put on hold.

Last week, as news emerged that the US administration was considering seriously shipping Tomahawk cruise missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Kyiv, the Russian leader phoned Trump who then promoted the potential meeting in Budapest.

The next day, the president hosted Zelensky at the executive residence, but left 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 all my life by skilled operators, and I emerged successfully," he said.

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

"Once the matter of long-range mobility became a little further away for us – for our nation – the Russian side almost automatically became less engaged in negotiations," he said.

Thus, in a matter of days, the president has shifted from entertaining the prospect of providing weapons to Ukraine to planning a meeting in Hungary with Russia's leader and confidentially urging the Ukrainian president to surrender all of Donbas – including territory Russian forces has been unable to conquer.

He has finally decided on advocating a truce along present frontlines – a proposal the Russian government has refused to accept.

During his election campaign last year, the candidate vowed that he could end the Ukraine war in a very short time. He has since abandoned that pledge, saying that concluding the hostilities is turning out more difficult 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 wants, or is able to, cease hostilities.