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Accounts of an upcoming American-Russian leadership meeting have been greatly exaggerated, apparently.

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

A initial get-together by the two nations' leading diplomats has been cancelled, as well.

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

• Donald Trump states he did not want a 'wasted meeting' after plan for negotiations with Putin shelved
• Disappointment in Kyiv as Zelensky departs Washington empty-handed

The on-again, off-again summit is another twist in the president's efforts to broker an end to war in the Eastern European nation – a topic of increased attention for the American leader after he orchestrated a truce and hostage release agreement in Gaza.

While making remarks in Egypt last week to celebrate that truce deal, the president addressed his lead diplomatic negotiator, with a new request.

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

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

Reduced Influence

Per the lead negotiator, the crucial element to achieving a agreement was the Israeli government's decision to strike Hamas negotiators in Qatar. It was a action that infuriated America's Arab allies but provided the president leverage to pressure Israel's leader Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

The US president gained from a long record of supporting the Israeli state dating back to his initial presidency, encompassing his choice to relocate the American embassy to Jerusalem, to change America's position on the legality of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, more recently, his support for Israel's military campaign against Iran.

The American leader, actually, is better regarded among the Israeli public than their prime minister – a situation that provided him with unique influence over the Israeli leader.

Combine 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 deal.

In the Ukraine war, on the other hand, the president has much less leverage. Over the past nine months, he has swung between attempts to strong-arm Putin and then the Ukrainian leader, all with little seeming effect.

Trump has warned to impose new sanctions on Russia's oil and gas sales and to provide Ukraine with advanced missile systems. But he has also acknowledged that such actions could harm the world's financial stability and intensify the conflict.

Meanwhile, the president has publicly berated Zelensky, temporarily cutting off intelligence-sharing with Ukraine and pausing weapon deliveries to the country - only to then retreat in the wake of concerned European allies who caution a Ukrainian collapse could disrupt the entire region.

Trump often boasts about his skill to meet and negotiate deals, but his face-to-face meetings with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders haven't seemed to advance the war any closer to a resolution.

Putin may in fact be exploiting Trump's desire for a settlement – and belief in in-person deal-making - 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 approve on legislative penalties backed by GOP senators. That bill was afterwards delayed.

Recently, as reports spread that the US administration was seriously contemplating shipping Tomahawk cruise missiles and air defense systems to Kyiv, the president of Russia called the US president who then touted the possible summit in Budapest.

The next day, the president hosted Ukraine's leader at the White House, but departed without agreements after a allegedly tense meeting.

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

"You know, I have been manipulated all my life by skilled operators, and I came out really well," he said.

However the president of Ukraine later made note of the timeline of developments.

"Once the issue of advanced weaponry became a less accessible for us – for our nation – the Russian side quickly became less engaged in diplomacy," he said.

So, in a matter of days, Trump has bounced from entertaining the prospect of sending missiles to Ukraine to planning a meeting in Hungary with Putin and privately urging the Ukrainian president to cede all of Donbas – including territory Russia has been unable to conquer.

He has ultimately decided on advocating a truce along present frontlines – something Russia has rejected.

On the campaign trail previously, the candidate vowed that he could resolve the Ukraine war in a matter of hours. He has since 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 challenge of establishing a peace plan when neither side desires, or is able to, cease hostilities.