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Accounts of an impending American-Russian presidential summit have been greatly exaggerated, it seems.

Only a few days after Donald Trump announced he planned to confer with Russian President Putin in the Hungarian capital - "in approximately a fortnight" - the high-level talks has been suspended indefinitely.

A initial get-together by the both countries' leading diplomats has been called off, too.

"I don't want to have a wasted meeting," President Trump told the press at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. "I don't want a pointless effort, so I will observe what happens."

• Donald Trump states he wished to avoid a 'wasted meeting' after plan for Putin talks postponed
• Letdown in Ukraine's capital as President Zelensky leaves White House without results

The on-again, off-again meeting is another development in the president's attempts to mediate an end to war in the Eastern European nation – a subject of increased attention for the American leader after he orchestrated a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal in the Palestinian territory.

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

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

However, the conditions that converged to make a Gaza breakthrough possible for Witkoff and his team may be difficult to replicate in a conflict in Ukraine that has been raging for almost several years.

Less Leverage

According to the lead negotiator, the crucial element to achieving a agreement was Israel's move to attack representatives of Hamas in the Gulf state. It was a move that infuriated America's Arab allies but provided the president leverage to compel Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into making a deal.

The US president benefited from a history of supporting Israel since his initial presidency, encompassing his choice to relocate the American embassy to the contested city, to alter America's position on the legality of Jewish communities in the occupied territories and, more recently, his backing for Israel's military campaign against Iran.

The American leader, actually, is more popular among Israelis than their prime minister – a situation that provided him with special sway over the nation's head.

Combine the president's political and economic ties to influential Arab nations in the area, and he had a abundant negotiating strength to force an deal.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, on the other hand, the president has significantly reduced leverage. Over the past nine months, he has vacillated between attempts to pressure Putin and then Zelensky, all with little seeming effect.

The US leader has threatened to enact new sanctions on Russian energy exports and to supply the Ukrainian forces with new long-range weapons. But he has also acknowledged that such actions could harm the world's financial stability and further escalate the conflict.

Meanwhile, the US leader has criticized openly Zelensky, temporarily cutting off information exchange with the country and suspending weapon deliveries to the country - then to retreat in the face of worried European partners who warn a defeat of Ukraine could destabilise the whole area.

The president often boasts about his ability to sit down and negotiate agreements, but his face-to-face meetings with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders have not appeared to move the war any closer to a resolution.

Putin may actually be using Trump's desire for a deal – and faith in in-person deal-making - as a method of manipulating 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 GOP senators. That bill was afterwards delayed.

Last week, as reports spread that the White House was considering seriously shipping long-range missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Ukraine, the Russian leader phoned the US president who then promoted the possible summit in Budapest.

The next day, Trump hosted Zelensky at the White House, but left empty-handed after a allegedly strained discussion.

Trump maintained that he was not being played by Putin.

"As you are aware, I have been manipulated throughout my career by skilled operators, and I emerged successfully," he said.

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

"As soon as the issue of advanced weaponry became a less accessible for Ukraine – for our nation – the Russian side almost automatically became less interested in diplomacy," he said.

Thus, in a matter of days, Trump has shifted from entertaining the prospect of providing weapons to the Eastern European country to planning a Budapest summit with Russia's leader and confidentially urging the Ukrainian president to cede the entire Donbas region – even territory Russian forces has been unable to conquer.

He has finally decided on advocating a truce along present frontlines – a proposal Russia has rejected.

During his election campaign previously, the candidate vowed that he could resolve the conflict in Ukraine in a very short time. He has subsequently discarded that commitment, admitting that ending the hostilities is proving more difficult than he anticipated.

It has been a uncommon admission of the limits of his power – and the difficulty of finding a peace plan when both parties wants, or can afford to, give up the fight.