🔗 Share this article

Accounts of an impending American-Russian presidential meeting have been greatly exaggerated, apparently.

Just days after President Trump announced he planned to confer with Russian President Vladimir 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 cancelled, too.

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

• Trump says he did not want a 'unproductive session' after arrangement for negotiations with Putin postponed
• Letdown in Ukraine's capital as Zelensky departs Washington empty-handed

The frequently changing meeting is another development in Trump's attempts to mediate an conclusion to war in the Eastern European nation – a topic of increased attention for the American leader after he orchestrated a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in Gaza.

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

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

However, the circumstances 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 nearing four years.

Less Leverage

According to Witkoff, the key to achieving a agreement was Israel's move to strike representatives of Hamas in Qatar. It was a move that angered America's Arab allies but gave the president leverage to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump benefited from a long record of supporting Israel dating back to his first term, encompassing his decision to relocate the American embassy to Jerusalem, to change America's position on the lawfulness of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and, in recent times, his backing for Israel's military campaign against Iran.

The US president, in fact, is better regarded among the Israeli public than Netanyahu – a position that gave him unique influence over the Israeli leader.

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

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 the Russian president and then the Ukrainian leader, all with minimal visible progress.

The US leader has warned to enact additional penalties on Russian energy exports and to provide Ukraine with new long-range weapons. But he has also acknowledged that doing so could disrupt the global economy and further escalate the war.

At the same time, the US leader has publicly berated Ukraine's president, halting briefly intelligence-sharing with Ukraine and suspending arms shipments to the country - only to then retreat in the face of worried European partners who warn a Ukrainian collapse could disrupt the entire region.

The president loves to tout his ability to sit down and hammer out agreements, but his personal discussions with both Putin and Zelensky haven't seemed to advance the war any nearer a peaceful end.

The Russian president may in fact be exploiting the US leader's wish for a settlement – and belief in direct negotiations - as a means of influencing him.

During the summer, Putin agreed to a high-level meeting in Alaska just as it seemed probable that Trump would approve on legislative penalties backed by Senate Republicans. That legislation was afterwards delayed.

Last week, as reports spread that the White House was seriously contemplating sending Tomahawk cruise missiles and air defense systems to Ukraine, the Russian leader called Trump who then touted the potential meeting in Budapest.

The next day, Trump welcomed Ukraine's leader at the executive residence, but departed empty-handed after a reportedly tense meeting.

Trump maintained that he was not being played by Putin.

"You know, I have been manipulated throughout my career by skilled operators, and I emerged really well," he said.

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

"Once the issue of advanced weaponry became a little further away for us – for Ukraine – the Russian side almost automatically became less interested in diplomacy," he said.

Thus, in a matter of days, the president has shifted from considering the idea of providing weapons to the Eastern European country to organizing a meeting in Hungary with Putin and privately 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 the Russian government has refused to accept.

During his election campaign previously, Trump vowed that he could end the Ukraine war in a matter of hours. He has subsequently abandoned that pledge, saying that concluding the war is turning out harder than he anticipated.

It has been a uncommon admission of the limits of his power – and the difficulty of finding a framework for peace when both parties desires, or is able to, give up the fight.