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

Just days after Donald Trump said he intended to meet Russian President Putin in Budapest - "within two weeks or so" - the high-level talks has been suspended indefinitely.

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

"I don't want to have a fruitless discussion," Donald Trump informed the press at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. "I don't want a waste of time, so I'll see what transpires."

• Trump states he wished to avoid a 'wasted meeting' after arrangement for Putin talks shelved
• Letdown in Ukraine's capital as Zelensky leaves Washington empty-handed

The on-again, off-again meeting is just the latest twist in Trump's attempts to broker an conclusion to war in Ukraine – a topic of increased attention for the American leader after he arranged a truce and prisoner exchange deal in Gaza.

While making remarks in the North African country last week to celebrate that truce deal, the president addressed Steve Witkoff, with a fresh directive.

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

However, the circumstances that aligned to make a Gaza breakthrough possible for Witkoff and his team may be difficult to replicate in a Ukraine war that has been ongoing for almost four years.

Less Leverage

Per the lead negotiator, the crucial element to achieving a agreement was the Israeli government's decision to strike Hamas negotiators in Qatar. It was a action that infuriated America's Arab allies but gave the president bargaining power to pressure Israel's leader Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump benefited from a history of supporting the Israeli state since his initial presidency, encompassing his decision to relocate the American embassy to Jerusalem, to alter America's position on the legality of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, more recently, his support for Israeli defense operations against the Islamic Republic.

The American leader, actually, is better regarded among Israelis than their prime minister – a situation that provided him with unique influence over the nation's head.

Combine Trump's connections in politics and business to influential Arab nations in the region, and he had a abundant diplomatic muscle to force an agreement.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, by contrast, the president has much less leverage. Over the past nine months, he has swung between efforts to pressure the Russian president 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 Ukraine with new long-range weapons. But he has also recognised that such actions could harm the global economy and intensify the war.

At the same time, the president has criticized openly Zelensky, 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 Ukrainian collapse could destabilise the entire region.

Trump often boasts about his skill to meet and negotiate agreements, but his personal discussions with both Putin and Zelensky haven't seemed to advance the hostilities any closer to a peaceful end.

Putin may actually be exploiting Trump's desire for a settlement – and faith in in-person deal-making - as a means of manipulating him.

In July, Putin consented to a summit in the US state at the time when it appeared likely that Trump would sign off on congressional sanctions package backed by GOP senators. That legislation was subsequently put on hold.

Last week, as reports spread that the US administration was seriously contemplating sending long-range missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Ukraine, the Russian leader phoned Trump who then promoted the possible summit in Hungary.

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

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

"You know, I have been manipulated throughout my career by skilled operators, and I emerged successfully," he remarked.

However the Ukrainian leader later commented on the sequence of events.

"Once the matter of long-range mobility became a little further away for us – for Ukraine – Russia almost automatically became less interested in diplomacy," he stated.

So, in a short period, Trump has bounced from considering the idea of providing weapons to the Eastern European country to planning a meeting in Hungary with Russia's leader and confidentially pressuring the Ukrainian president to surrender the entire Donbas region – including land Russian forces has been failed to capture.

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

During his election campaign previously, Trump promised that he could resolve the Ukraine war in a matter of hours. He has since discarded that pledge, admitting that concluding the hostilities is proving harder than he anticipated.

It has been a uncommon admission of the constraints of his power – and the challenge of finding a framework for peace when neither side desires, or is able to, give up the fight.