🔗 Share this article

Reports of an impending American-Russian presidential summit have been overstated, it seems.

Only a few days after President Trump said he intended to meet Russia's leader Vladimir Putin in Budapest - "within two weeks or so" - the high-level talks has been put off without a new date.

A initial meeting by the both countries' leading diplomats has been called off, as well.

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

• Donald Trump states he wished to avoid a 'wasted meeting' after arrangement for Putin talks postponed
• Letdown in Kyiv as Zelensky departs White House without results

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

While making remarks in the North African country last week to commemorate that ceasefire agreement, Trump turned to Steve Witkoff, with a new request.

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

Nonetheless, the circumstances that converged to make a Middle East success possible for the negotiation team may be challenging to replicate in a conflict in Ukraine that has been raging for almost four years.

Less Leverage

According to Witkoff, the crucial element to achieving a agreement was the Israeli government's decision to strike Hamas negotiators in the Gulf state. It was a action that angered US partners in the Arab world but provided Trump bargaining power to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into making a deal.

Trump benefited from a history of siding with the Israeli state dating back to his initial presidency, encompassing his choice to relocate the American embassy to the contested city, to change US policy on the lawfulness of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, more recently, his support for Israel's military campaign against the Islamic Republic.

The US president, in fact, is better regarded among the Israeli public than their prime minister – a position that gave him 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 secure an deal.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, on the other hand, Trump has much less influence. Over the past nine months, he has vacillated between attempts to strong-arm Putin and then Zelensky, all with minimal visible progress.

Trump has warned to enact additional penalties on Russian energy exports and to supply Ukraine with advanced missile systems. But he has also recognised that doing so could disrupt the world's financial stability and further escalate the conflict.

Meanwhile, the US leader has publicly berated Ukraine's president, halting briefly information exchange with the country and pausing arms shipments to the country - only to then 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 both Putin and Zelensky have not appeared to advance the hostilities any closer to a resolution.

Putin may actually be using Trump's desire for a deal – and belief in direct negotiations - as a means 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 subsequently put on hold.

Last week, as reports spread that the US administration was seriously contemplating shipping Tomahawk cruise missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Ukraine, the Russian leader called the US president who then touted the potential summit in Hungary.

The next day, the president hosted Zelensky at the executive residence, but departed empty-handed after a reportedly strained discussion.

The US leader maintained that he was not being manipulated by Putin.

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

But the Ukrainian leader subsequently made note of the timeline of developments.

"Once the issue of long-range mobility became a less accessible for Ukraine – for Ukraine – the Russian side almost automatically became less interested in diplomacy," he stated.

So, in a short period, Trump has shifted from considering the idea of sending missiles to Ukraine to organizing a Budapest summit with Russia's leader and privately urging Zelensky to cede all of Donbas – even territory Russia has been unable to conquer.

He has ultimately decided on advocating a truce along present frontlines – something the Russian government has refused to accept.

On the campaign trail last year, Trump promised that he could end the Ukraine war in a very short time. He has subsequently discarded that pledge, saying that concluding the hostilities is turning out harder than he expected.

It has been a rare acknowledgement of the constraints of his power – and the difficulty of finding a peace plan when both parties wants, or is able to, cease hostilities.