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Accounts of an upcoming US-Russia presidential summit have been greatly exaggerated, apparently.

Just days after Donald Trump announced he planned to confer with Russia's leader Putin in the Hungarian capital - "within two weeks or so" - the summit has been suspended indefinitely.

A initial get-together by the both countries' top diplomats has been called off, as well.

"I don't want to have a fruitless discussion," President Trump informed reporters at the executive mansion on Tuesday afternoon. "I aim to avoid a pointless effort, so I will observe what transpires."

• Donald Trump states he did not want a 'wasted meeting' after plan for Putin talks shelved
• Letdown in Ukraine's capital as Zelensky departs White House without results

The on-again, off-again summit is just the latest development in the president's attempts to broker an end to hostilities in the Eastern European nation – a subject of renewed focus for the American leader after he arranged a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in the Palestinian territory.

While making remarks in the North African country last week to commemorate that truce deal, Trump addressed Steve Witkoff, with a new request.

"It is essential to get the Russian situation resolved," he declared.

Nonetheless, the circumstances that aligned to make a Gaza breakthrough achievable for the negotiation team may be challenging to replicate in a conflict in Ukraine that has been raging for nearing several years.

Less Leverage

According to Witkoff, the key to achieving a deal was the Israeli government'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 pressure Israel's leader Netanyahu into making a deal.

Trump benefited from a history of siding with Israel dating back to his first term, including his choice to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, to alter America's position on the lawfulness of Jewish communities in the occupied territories and, in recent times, his support for Israel's military campaign against Iran.

The American leader, actually, is more popular among Israelis than their prime minister – a position that provided him with special sway 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 diplomatic muscle to force an deal.

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

Trump has threatened to enact new sanctions on Russian energy exports and to supply Ukraine with advanced missile systems. But he has also recognised that such actions could disrupt the world's financial stability and further escalate the conflict.

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

Trump loves to tout his skill to sit down and negotiate agreements, but his personal discussions with both Putin and Zelensky haven't seemed to advance the hostilities any nearer a peaceful end.

The Russian president may actually be using Trump's desire for a settlement – and belief in direct negotiations - as a method of influencing him.

In July, Putin consented to a high-level meeting in the US state just as it appeared likely that Trump would sign off on congressional sanctions package supported by Senate Republicans. That legislation was afterwards delayed.

Recently, as news emerged that the US administration was considering seriously sending Tomahawk cruise missiles and air defense systems to Ukraine, the president of Russia called Trump who then promoted the possible meeting in Budapest.

The following day, the president hosted Zelensky at the White House, but left without agreements after a allegedly tense meeting.

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

"As you are aware, I've been played throughout my career by the best of them, and I came out really well," he remarked.

But the Ukrainian leader later made note of the sequence of events.

"Once the issue of long-range mobility became a less accessible for Ukraine – for our nation – Russia quickly became less interested in negotiations," he stated.

So, in a matter of days, Trump has shifted from entertaining the prospect of sending missiles to Ukraine to planning a meeting in Hungary with Russia's leader and confidentially urging Zelensky to surrender the entire Donbas region – including land Russian forces has been unable to conquer.

He has ultimately settled on calling for a ceasefire along present frontlines – something the Russian government has refused to accept.

On the campaign trail last year, the candidate promised that he could resolve the conflict in Ukraine in a very short time. He has since discarded that pledge, saying that ending the war 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 framework for peace when both parties wants, or can afford to, give up the fight.