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Reports of an upcoming American-Russian presidential meeting have been greatly exaggerated, apparently.

Just days after Donald Trump announced he intended to confer with Russia's leader Vladimir Putin in the Hungarian capital - "in approximately a fortnight" - the high-level talks has been suspended indefinitely.

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

"I don't want to have a wasted meeting," President Trump informed the press at the executive mansion on a recent weekday. "I aim to avoid a pointless effort, so I will observe what transpires."

• Trump says he wished to avoid a 'wasted meeting' after plan for Putin talks postponed
• Letdown in Kyiv as Zelensky departs Washington without results

The on-again, off-again meeting is another twist in Trump's attempts to mediate an conclusion to hostilities in the Eastern European nation – a subject of increased attention for the US president after he orchestrated a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal in the Palestinian territory.

During a speech in Egypt recently to celebrate that ceasefire agreement, Trump turned to Steve Witkoff, with a new request.

"We have to get Russia resolved," he declared.

However, the conditions that aligned to make a Gaza breakthrough achievable for Witkoff and his team may be challenging to replicate in a Ukraine war that has been ongoing for almost several years.

Less Leverage

According to the lead negotiator, the key to unlocking a deal was Israel's move to strike Hamas negotiators in Qatar. It was a action that angered US partners in the Arab world but gave Trump leverage to compel Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump gained from a long record of supporting the Israeli state since his first term, including his decision to relocate the American embassy to the contested city, to alter America's position on the legality of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, more recently, his backing for Israel's military campaign against Iran.

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

Combine Trump's connections in politics and business to influential Arab nations in the region, and he had a abundant negotiating strength to secure an agreement.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, by contrast, Trump has much less influence. In recent months, he has swung between efforts to strong-arm Putin and then Zelensky, all with minimal visible progress.

Trump has warned to enact additional penalties on Russia's oil and gas sales and to provide Ukraine with new long-range weapons. But he has also recognised that doing so could disrupt the world's financial stability and further escalate the war.

Meanwhile, the US leader has criticized openly Ukraine's president, halting briefly intelligence-sharing with the country and pausing weapon deliveries to the nation - then to back off in the wake of worried European partners who warn a Ukrainian collapse could disrupt the whole area.

The president loves to tout his ability to meet and negotiate deals, but his personal discussions with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders haven't seemed to advance the war any closer to a resolution.

Putin may in fact be using the US leader's wish for a deal – and belief in direct negotiations - as a method of manipulating him.

During the summer, Russia's leader consented to a summit in the US state at the time when it appeared likely that Trump would approve on legislative penalties supported by GOP senators. That bill was subsequently put on hold.

Last week, as news emerged that the US administration was considering seriously sending long-range missiles and air defense systems to Ukraine, the Russian leader phoned Trump who then promoted the possible summit in Budapest.

The following day, the president hosted Ukraine's leader at the White House, but left empty-handed after a allegedly tense meeting.

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

"As you are aware, I have been manipulated all my life by the best of them, and I came out successfully," he remarked.

However the president of Ukraine subsequently made note of the sequence of events.

"Once the matter of long-range mobility became a less accessible for us – for Ukraine – the Russian side almost automatically became less interested in diplomacy," he said.

Thus, in a short period, the president has shifted from entertaining the prospect of sending missiles to the Eastern European country to organizing a meeting in Hungary with Putin and confidentially pressuring Zelensky to cede all of Donbas – even territory Russian forces has been unable to conquer.

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

During his election campaign previously, the candidate vowed that he could end the conflict in Ukraine in a matter of hours. He has since abandoned that pledge, admitting that ending the hostilities is turning out harder than he expected.

It has been a uncommon admission of the constraints of his authority – and the difficulty of finding a framework for peace when both parties wants, or is able to, cease hostilities.