🔗 Share this article

Accounts of an impending US-Russia presidential summit have been greatly exaggerated, it seems.

Only a few days after President Trump announced he intended to confer with Russia's leader Putin in Budapest - "in approximately a fortnight" - the high-level talks has been suspended indefinitely.

A preliminary meeting by the two nations' leading diplomats has been cancelled, as well.

"I don't want to have a fruitless discussion," President Trump informed the press at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. "I aim to avoid a waste of time, so I will observe what transpires."

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

The frequently changing summit is just the latest development in the president's attempts to broker an end to war in Ukraine – a subject of renewed focus for the US president 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 his lead diplomatic negotiator, with a new request.

"We have to get Russia resolved," he said.

However, the circumstances that aligned to make a Gaza breakthrough possible for Witkoff and his team may be challenging to replicate in a Ukraine war that has been ongoing for almost four years.

Less Leverage

According to Witkoff, the key to unlocking a deal was Israel's decision to attack Hamas negotiators in the Gulf state. It was a action that infuriated America's Arab allies but provided the president leverage to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump benefited from a long record of supporting the Israeli state dating back to his initial presidency, encompassing his choice to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, to alter America's position on the lawfulness of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and, more recently, his backing for Israel's military campaign against Iran.

The American leader, in fact, is more popular among Israelis than their prime minister – a position that provided him with unique influence over the Israeli leader.

Add in the president's connections in politics and business to key Arab players in the area, and he had a wealth of negotiating strength to secure an agreement.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, on the other hand, Trump has significantly reduced leverage. In recent months, he has vacillated between attempts to strong-arm Putin and then Zelensky, all with minimal visible progress.

The US leader has threatened to enact additional penalties on Russian energy exports and to provide Ukraine with new long-range weapons. But he has also acknowledged that such actions could disrupt the world's financial stability and intensify the war.

Meanwhile, the president has publicly berated Zelensky, temporarily cutting off information exchange with Ukraine and pausing arms shipments to the nation - only to then back off in the face of worried European partners who warn a Ukrainian collapse could destabilise the entire region.

Trump loves to tout his ability to meet and negotiate deals, but his face-to-face meetings with both Putin and Zelensky have not appeared to advance the war any closer to a resolution.

The Russian president may actually be exploiting the US leader's wish for a settlement – and belief in direct negotiations - as a means 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 legislative penalties supported by GOP senators. That legislation was subsequently delayed.

Last week, as reports spread that the White House was considering seriously shipping Tomahawk cruise missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Ukraine, the Russian leader phoned the US president who then promoted the potential meeting in Hungary.

The next day, the president 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 the Russian president.

"You know, I have been manipulated all my life by the best of them, and I emerged successfully," he said.

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

"Once the matter of advanced weaponry became a less accessible for Ukraine – for Ukraine – the Russian side quickly became less engaged in negotiations," he stated.

So, in a short period, the president has bounced from entertaining the prospect of providing weapons to the Eastern European country to planning a meeting in Hungary with Russia's leader and privately urging the Ukrainian president to surrender the entire Donbas region – even territory Russia has been unable to conquer.

He has finally decided on calling for a ceasefire along current battle lines – something the Russian government has rejected.

On the campaign trail last year, the candidate promised that he could end the Ukraine war in a very short time. He has subsequently discarded that commitment, saying that ending the war is proving harder than he anticipated.

It has been a uncommon admission of the limits of his authority – and the difficulty of finding a framework for peace when both parties wants, or can afford to, cease hostilities.