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

Just days after President Trump said he intended to meet Russia's leader Vladimir Putin in the Hungarian capital - "within two weeks or so" - the summit has been put off without a new date.

A initial get-together 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 a recent weekday. "I don't want a pointless effort, so I'll see what transpires."

• Donald Trump says he did not want a 'wasted meeting' after arrangement for Putin talks postponed
• Disappointment in Kyiv as Zelensky leaves Washington without results

The on-again, off-again summit is just the latest development in Trump's efforts to mediate an conclusion to hostilities in Ukraine – a topic of increased attention for the American leader after he arranged a truce and hostage release deal in the Palestinian territory.

During a speech in Egypt last week to celebrate that ceasefire agreement, the president turned to Steve Witkoff, with a new request.

"It is essential to get Russia done," he declared.

However, the circumstances that converged to make a Middle East success achievable for the negotiation team may be challenging to duplicate in a conflict in Ukraine that has been ongoing for nearing several years.

Less Leverage

According to the lead negotiator, the crucial element to unlocking a deal was Israel's move to attack representatives of Hamas in the Gulf state. It was a action that infuriated America's Arab allies but provided Trump leverage to compel Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump benefited from a history of siding with the Israeli state dating back to his first term, encompassing his choice to relocate the American embassy to Jerusalem, to change America's position on the lawfulness of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, more recently, his backing for Israeli defense operations against Iran.

The US president, in fact, is better regarded among Israelis than Netanyahu – a situation that gave him unique influence over the nation's head.

Combine Trump's political and economic ties to key Arab players in the area, and he had a wealth of negotiating strength to force an deal.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, by contrast, the president has much less influence. In recent months, he has swung between efforts to strong-arm the Russian president and then Zelensky, all with little seeming effect.

Trump has threatened to impose additional penalties on Russian energy exports and to provide the Ukrainian forces with advanced missile systems. But he has also acknowledged 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, temporarily cutting off intelligence-sharing with Ukraine and pausing weapon deliveries to the country - only to then back off in the face of worried European partners who caution a defeat of Ukraine could disrupt the whole area.

Trump often boasts about his skill to meet and hammer out agreements, but his personal discussions with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders haven't seemed to move the war any nearer a peaceful end.

Putin may actually be exploiting Trump's desire for a deal – and belief in direct negotiations - as a means of influencing him.

During the summer, Putin agreed to a high-level meeting in Alaska just as it seemed probable that the president would sign off on legislative penalties backed by GOP senators. That bill was subsequently put on hold.

Recently, as news emerged that the US administration was seriously contemplating sending Tomahawk cruise missiles and air defense systems to Kyiv, the Russian leader called the US president who then promoted the potential summit in Budapest.

The next day, the president hosted Ukraine's leader at the executive residence, but departed without agreements after a allegedly strained discussion.

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

"You know, I've been played throughout my career by the best of them, and I came out really well," he said.

But the Ukrainian leader subsequently commented on the timeline of developments.

"Once the matter of advanced weaponry became a less accessible for us – for Ukraine – Russia quickly became less engaged in diplomacy," he said.

So, in a matter of days, the president has shifted from entertaining the prospect of providing weapons to the Eastern European country to organizing a Budapest summit with Russia's leader and confidentially pressuring Zelensky to cede the entire Donbas region – including land Russia has been unable to conquer.

He has ultimately settled on advocating a ceasefire along present frontlines – something Russia has rejected.

On the campaign trail last year, the candidate vowed that he could end the Ukraine war in a very short time. He has since discarded that commitment, saying that ending the hostilities is proving harder than he anticipated.

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