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Reports of an impending US-Russia leadership summit have been greatly exaggerated, it seems.

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

A preliminary get-together by the two nations' leading diplomats has been cancelled, too.

"I don't want to have a wasted meeting," Donald Trump told reporters at the executive mansion on a recent weekday. "I aim to avoid a waste of time, so I will observe what transpires."

• Trump says he did not want a 'wasted meeting' after arrangement for negotiations with Putin shelved
• Letdown in Ukraine's capital as President Zelensky departs Washington without results

The on-again, off-again meeting is just the latest development in Trump's attempts to broker an end to war in the Eastern European nation – a subject of increased attention for the US president after he orchestrated a truce and prisoner exchange agreement in the Palestinian territory.

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

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

However, the conditions that aligned to make a Middle East success possible for the negotiation team may be difficult to duplicate in a conflict in Ukraine that has been ongoing for almost four years.

Reduced Influence

Per the lead negotiator, the crucial element to unlocking a agreement was Israel's move to attack Hamas negotiators in Qatar. It was a action that infuriated America's Arab allies but provided the president leverage to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

The US president gained from a long record of supporting the Israeli state dating back to his initial presidency, encompassing his decision to relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem, to alter US policy on the legality of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, more recently, his backing for Israeli defense operations against the Islamic Republic.

The American leader, in fact, is more popular among the Israeli public than their prime minister – a situation that gave him special sway over the nation's head.

Add in the president's political and economic ties to key Arab players in the region, and he had a abundant negotiating strength to secure an deal.

In the Ukraine war, on the other hand, Trump has significantly reduced leverage. Over the past nine months, he has swung between attempts to pressure Putin and then Zelensky, all with minimal visible progress.

Trump has warned to impose additional penalties on Russian energy exports and to provide Ukraine with advanced missile systems. But he has also recognised that such actions could disrupt the world's financial stability and intensify the war.

Meanwhile, the US leader has publicly berated Ukraine's president, halting briefly intelligence-sharing with Ukraine and suspending weapon deliveries to the nation - only to then back off in the face of concerned European allies who warn a defeat of Ukraine could disrupt the entire region.

Trump often boasts about his ability to meet and hammer out deals, but his face-to-face meetings with both Putin and Zelensky have not appeared to advance the hostilities any nearer a peaceful end.

Putin may actually be exploiting the US leader's wish for a settlement – and belief in direct negotiations - as a method of influencing him.

During the summer, Russia's leader consented to a high-level meeting in the US state at the time when it appeared likely that the president would sign off on congressional sanctions package backed by Senate Republicans. That legislation was afterwards delayed.

Last week, as news emerged that the White House was seriously contemplating shipping long-range missiles and air defense systems to Ukraine, the Russian leader called Trump who then promoted the possible meeting in Hungary.

The following day, Trump hosted Ukraine's leader at the White House, but left empty-handed after a allegedly strained discussion.

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

"You know, I've been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out successfully," he said.

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

"As soon as the matter of long-range mobility became a little further away for us – for Ukraine – the Russian side almost automatically became less engaged in diplomacy," he stated.

Thus, in a short period, Trump has shifted from entertaining the prospect of sending missiles to the Eastern European country to organizing a Budapest summit with Putin and privately pressuring Zelensky to surrender the entire Donbas region – including land Russian forces has been unable to conquer.

He has ultimately decided on calling for a truce along present frontlines – something the Russian government has rejected.

During his election campaign last year, the candidate promised that he could resolve the conflict in Ukraine in a very short time. He has subsequently abandoned that pledge, admitting that concluding the hostilities is proving harder than he expected.

It has been a uncommon admission of the limits of his power – and the challenge of finding a framework for peace when both parties desires, or is able to, cease hostilities.