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Reports of an upcoming US-Russia presidential summit have been overstated, it seems.

Just days after President Trump said he intended to confer with Russian President Putin in Budapest - "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, too.

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

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

The on-again, off-again meeting is just the latest twist in the president's efforts to broker an conclusion to hostilities in Ukraine – a topic of renewed focus for the US president after he orchestrated a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza.

During a speech in Egypt last week to celebrate that truce deal, Trump addressed Steve Witkoff, with a fresh directive.

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

Nonetheless, the circumstances that aligned to make a Gaza breakthrough achievable for Witkoff and his team may be difficult to duplicate in a Ukraine war that has been ongoing for nearing four years.

Reduced Influence

Per the lead negotiator, the crucial element to unlocking a deal was Israel's decision to attack representatives of Hamas in the Gulf state. It was a action that angered America's Arab allies but gave the president leverage to compel Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

The US president benefited from a long record of siding with Israel dating back to his first term, including his choice to move the American embassy to the contested city, to change America's position on the legality of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and, in recent times, his support for Israel's military campaign against Iran.

The US president, in fact, is more popular among Israelis than their prime minister – a position that provided him with 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 agreement.

In the Ukraine war, by contrast, the president has significantly reduced influence. Over the past nine months, he has swung between attempts to strong-arm Putin and then the Ukrainian leader, all with little seeming effect.

Trump has threatened to impose additional penalties on Russia's oil and gas sales and to supply the Ukrainian forces with advanced missile systems. But he has also acknowledged that doing so could harm the global economy and further escalate the war.

Meanwhile, the US leader has criticized openly Zelensky, halting briefly information exchange with the country and suspending arms shipments to the country - then to retreat in the face of concerned European allies who warn a Ukrainian collapse could destabilise the whole area.

Trump often boasts about his skill to sit down and negotiate agreements, but his face-to-face meetings with both Putin and Zelensky haven't seemed to advance the war any closer to a resolution.

The Russian president may in fact be using the US leader's wish for a deal – and belief in in-person deal-making - as a method of influencing him.

During the summer, Russia's leader agreed to a high-level meeting in Alaska at the time when it appeared likely that the president would sign off on congressional sanctions package supported by Senate Republicans. That bill was subsequently put on hold.

Recently, as reports spread that the White House was seriously contemplating shipping long-range missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Ukraine, the president of Russia phoned Trump who then promoted the possible summit in Hungary.

The following day, Trump welcomed Zelensky at the White House, but departed without agreements after a allegedly tense meeting.

Trump insisted that he was not being played by Putin.

"You know, I have been manipulated all my life by the best of them, and I emerged successfully," he remarked.

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

"As soon as the issue of advanced weaponry became a little further away for us – for our nation – Russia quickly became less engaged in diplomacy," he said.

Thus, in a short period, the president has shifted from considering the idea of sending missiles to the Eastern European country to organizing a meeting in Hungary with Putin and confidentially urging Zelensky to cede all of Donbas – including land Russia has been unable to conquer.

He has finally settled on advocating a truce along current battle lines – something the Russian government has rejected.

On the campaign trail last year, the candidate promised that he could resolve the conflict in Ukraine in a matter of hours. He has since abandoned that commitment, saying that ending the war is turning out harder than he anticipated.

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