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Accounts of an upcoming US-Russia leadership summit have been overstated, apparently.

Just days after President Trump said he planned to meet Russian President Putin in the Hungarian capital - "within two weeks or so" - the summit has been suspended indefinitely.

A initial get-together by the both countries' top diplomats has been called off, as well.

"I don't want to have a fruitless discussion," President Trump informed the press at the executive mansion on Tuesday afternoon. "I aim to avoid a waste of time, so I will observe what happens."

• Donald Trump says he did not want a 'wasted meeting' after arrangement for negotiations with Putin postponed
• Disappointment in Ukraine's capital as President Zelensky leaves White House without results

The on-again, off-again summit is another twist in Trump's efforts to broker an conclusion to war in the Eastern European nation – a topic of increased attention for the American leader after he arranged a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in Gaza.

During a speech in Egypt last week to commemorate that ceasefire agreement, Trump turned to Steve Witkoff, with a fresh directive.

"We have to get the Russian situation done," he said.

Nonetheless, the circumstances that aligned to make a Gaza breakthrough possible for Witkoff and his team may be difficult to duplicate in a conflict in Ukraine that has been raging for almost several years.

Less Leverage

According to Witkoff, the crucial element to unlocking a deal was the Israeli government's decision to strike Hamas negotiators in the Gulf state. It was a move that infuriated America's Arab allies but provided the president leverage to pressure Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump gained from a history of supporting Israel since his initial presidency, encompassing his choice to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, to alter America's position on the lawfulness of Jewish communities in the occupied territories and, more recently, his support for Israeli defense operations against Iran.

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

Add in Trump's connections in politics and business to key Arab players in the region, and he had a wealth of negotiating strength to secure an agreement.

In the Ukraine war, by contrast, Trump has much less leverage. In recent months, he has swung between attempts to strong-arm Putin and then the Ukrainian leader, all with minimal visible progress.

Trump has threatened to impose new sanctions on Russian energy exports and to provide Ukraine with advanced missile systems. But he has also acknowledged that doing so could disrupt the world's financial stability and further escalate the war.

At the same time, the president has publicly berated Zelensky, temporarily cutting off information exchange with Ukraine and pausing arms shipments to the nation - then to retreat in the wake of concerned European allies who warn a Ukrainian collapse could disrupt the entire region.

The president often boasts about his ability to meet and hammer out deals, but his personal discussions with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders have not appeared to move the war any nearer a peaceful end.

Putin may actually be using Trump's desire for a settlement – and faith in direct negotiations - as a method of manipulating him.

During the summer, Russia's leader agreed to a high-level meeting in Alaska just as it appeared likely that Trump would approve on legislative penalties supported by GOP senators. That legislation was afterwards delayed.

Last week, as reports spread that the White House was seriously contemplating sending long-range missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Ukraine, the Russian leader called the US president who then touted the possible meeting in Hungary.

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

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

"As you are aware, I have been manipulated all my life by skilled operators, and I came out really well," he said.

But the president of Ukraine subsequently commented on the timeline of developments.

"Once the matter of advanced weaponry became a less accessible for us – for our nation – the Russian side quickly became less engaged in negotiations," he said.

Thus, in a short period, the president has bounced from considering the idea of sending missiles to the Eastern European country to organizing a Budapest summit with Russia's leader and privately urging the Ukrainian president to cede all of Donbas – even land Russian forces has been unable to conquer.

He has ultimately decided on advocating a truce along current battle lines – something the Russian government has refused to accept.

During his election campaign previously, the candidate promised that he could end the conflict in Ukraine in a very short time. He has subsequently abandoned that pledge, admitting that ending the hostilities is turning out more difficult than he expected.

It has been a rare acknowledgement of the constraints of his authority – and the difficulty of finding a framework for peace when both parties desires, or can afford to, cease hostilities.