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Reports of an upcoming US-Russia presidential meeting have been greatly exaggerated, apparently.

Just days after Donald Trump said he planned to confer with Russia's leader Vladimir Putin in the Hungarian capital - "in approximately a fortnight" - the high-level talks has been put off without a new date.

A initial get-together by the two nations' leading diplomats has been called off, as well.

"I don't want to have a fruitless discussion," President Trump told the press at the White House on a recent weekday. "I don't want a pointless effort, so I'll see what happens."

• Trump states he did not want a 'unproductive session' after arrangement for negotiations with Putin shelved
• Disappointment in Kyiv as President Zelensky leaves Washington empty-handed

The on-again, off-again meeting is another development in Trump's efforts to broker an end to war in Ukraine – a topic of renewed focus for the US president after he arranged a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in the Palestinian territory.

During a speech in Egypt last week to celebrate that truce deal, Trump addressed his lead diplomatic negotiator, with a fresh directive.

"We have to get the Russian situation resolved," 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 ongoing for almost several years.

Reduced Influence

According to the lead negotiator, the key to achieving a deal was Israel's decision to strike representatives of Hamas in the Gulf state. It was a move that angered America's Arab allies but gave the president leverage to compel Israel's leader Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

The US president gained from a history of supporting the Israeli state dating back to his initial presidency, including his decision to relocate the US embassy to the contested city, to change America's position on the lawfulness of Jewish communities in the occupied territories and, in recent times, his support for Israeli defense operations against the Islamic Republic.

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 Trump's connections in politics and business to influential Arab nations in the region, and he had a wealth of diplomatic muscle to secure an deal.

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

The US leader has warned to impose additional penalties on Russian energy exports and to provide the Ukrainian forces with advanced missile systems. But he has also acknowledged that such actions could harm the global economy and intensify the conflict.

At the same time, the US leader has criticized openly Ukraine's president, temporarily cutting off information exchange with Ukraine and suspending arms shipments to the nation - then to retreat in the wake of worried European partners who warn a defeat of Ukraine could destabilise the entire region.

The president loves to tout his skill to meet and negotiate agreements, but his personal discussions with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders haven't seemed to advance the war any nearer a peaceful end.

The Russian president may in fact be exploiting Trump's desire for a settlement – and faith in direct negotiations - as a method of influencing him.

During the summer, Russia's leader agreed to a high-level meeting in Alaska just as it appeared likely that the president would approve on congressional sanctions package supported by Senate Republicans. That legislation was afterwards put on hold.

Recently, as news emerged that the White House was considering seriously shipping Tomahawk cruise missiles and air defense systems to Ukraine, the president of Russia phoned Trump who then touted the possible summit in Hungary.

The following day, the president welcomed Ukraine's leader at the White House, but departed without agreements after a allegedly strained discussion.

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

"As you are aware, I've been played throughout my career by skilled operators, and I emerged really well," he said.

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

"Once the matter of advanced weaponry became a little further away for us – for Ukraine – the Russian side quickly became less interested in negotiations," he stated.

So, in a short period, Trump has shifted from considering the idea of providing weapons to the Eastern European country to planning a Budapest summit with Russia's leader and privately pressuring Zelensky to cede the entire Donbas region – even land Russian forces has been failed to capture.

He has ultimately settled on calling for a ceasefire along present frontlines – a proposal Russia has rejected.

During his election campaign previously, the candidate vowed that he could resolve the Ukraine war in a matter of hours. He has subsequently abandoned that pledge, admitting that ending the hostilities is turning out more difficult than he anticipated.

It has been a rare acknowledgement of the limits of his authority – and the challenge of finding a framework for peace when neither side desires, or is able to, cease hostilities.