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

Just days after Donald Trump said he planned to confer with Russian President Putin in the Hungarian capital - "in approximately a fortnight" - the summit has been put off without a new date.

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

"I prefer not to have a wasted meeting," Donald Trump informed reporters at the White House on a recent weekday. "I aim to avoid a pointless effort, so I'll see what happens."

• Donald Trump states he did not want a 'unproductive session' after plan for Putin talks postponed
• Letdown in Ukraine's capital as President Zelensky departs White House without results

The on-again, off-again meeting is just the latest development in the president's efforts to mediate an conclusion to war in Ukraine – a topic of increased attention for the US president after he arranged a truce and prisoner exchange deal in the Palestinian territory.

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

"We have to get the Russian situation done," he said.

However, the circumstances that converged to make a Gaza breakthrough achievable for Witkoff and his team may be difficult to duplicate in a conflict in Ukraine that has been ongoing for nearing several years.

Less Leverage

Per Witkoff, the crucial element to achieving a deal was the Israeli government's move to attack Hamas negotiators in the Gulf state. It was a action that angered America's Arab allies but provided the president bargaining power to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump gained from a history of siding with the Israeli state since his first term, encompassing his decision to relocate the US embassy to the contested city, to alter US policy on the lawfulness of Jewish communities in the occupied territories and, in recent times, his backing for Israel's military campaign against the Islamic Republic.

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

Add in the president's political and economic ties to influential Arab nations in the region, and he had a wealth of negotiating strength to secure an agreement.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, by contrast, the president has much less influence. In recent months, he has swung between efforts to pressure Putin and then the Ukrainian leader, all with minimal visible progress.

Trump has threatened to enact additional penalties on Russia's oil and gas sales and to supply the Ukrainian forces with new long-range weapons. But he has also acknowledged that doing so could disrupt the global economy and intensify the conflict.

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

Trump loves to tout his ability to meet and hammer out deals, but his personal discussions with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders haven't seemed to advance the hostilities any closer to a resolution.

Putin may actually be exploiting the US leader's wish for a settlement – and belief in in-person deal-making - as a means of manipulating him.

During the summer, Putin agreed to a summit in the US state just as it seemed probable that Trump would sign off on congressional sanctions package backed by GOP senators. That legislation was afterwards delayed.

Recently, as reports spread that the US administration was seriously contemplating shipping long-range missiles and air defense systems to Ukraine, the Russian leader called Trump who then touted the possible meeting in Hungary.

The next day, the president welcomed Ukraine's leader at the White House, but departed empty-handed after a reportedly tense meeting.

Trump insisted that he was not being played by Putin.

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

However the Ukrainian leader subsequently made note of the sequence of events.

"Once the issue of advanced weaponry became a less accessible for us – for Ukraine – the Russian side almost automatically became less engaged in diplomacy," he stated.

So, in a short period, Trump has shifted from considering the idea of sending missiles to Ukraine to planning a Budapest summit with Russia's leader and confidentially urging the Ukrainian president to surrender the entire Donbas region – even land Russian forces has been failed to capture.

He has finally decided on advocating a ceasefire along current battle lines – a proposal Russia has rejected.

On the campaign trail previously, the candidate vowed that he could resolve the Ukraine war in a very short time. He has subsequently abandoned that pledge, admitting that concluding the hostilities is turning out more difficult than he expected.

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