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Accounts of an impending US-Russia leadership meeting have been greatly exaggerated, apparently.

Just days after Donald Trump said he intended to confer with Russian President Putin in the Hungarian capital - "within two weeks or so" - the high-level talks has been put off without a new date.

A preliminary get-together by the both countries' 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 a recent weekday. "I don't want a waste of time, so I will observe what happens."

• Donald Trump states he did not want a 'unproductive session' after plan for negotiations with Putin postponed
• Disappointment in Ukraine's capital as Zelensky leaves Washington without results

The on-again, off-again meeting is just the latest development in Trump's attempts to broker an conclusion to war in the Eastern European nation – a subject of renewed focus for the US president after he orchestrated a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in Gaza.

During a speech in Egypt recently to celebrate that ceasefire agreement, Trump addressed his lead diplomatic negotiator, with a new request.

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

However, the circumstances that aligned to make a Middle East success possible for Witkoff and his team may be difficult to replicate in a conflict in Ukraine that has been ongoing for nearing several years.

Less Leverage

Per the lead negotiator, the crucial element to achieving a deal was the Israeli government's decision to attack representatives of Hamas in the Gulf state. It was a action that infuriated America's Arab allies but provided Trump leverage to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump gained from a long record of siding with Israel dating back to his first term, encompassing his decision to relocate the US embassy to the contested city, to alter US policy on the legality 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 more popular among the Israeli public than their prime minister – a situation that provided him with unique influence over the Israeli leader.

Combine Trump's political and economic ties to key Arab players in the region, and he had a abundant negotiating strength to force an agreement.

In the Ukraine war, on the other hand, the president has significantly reduced influence. In recent months, he has swung between efforts to strong-arm the Russian president and then Zelensky, all with little seeming effect.

Trump has warned to enact new sanctions on Russian energy exports and to provide Ukraine with new long-range weapons. But he has also recognised that doing so could harm the world's financial stability and intensify the war.

Meanwhile, the US leader has publicly berated Zelensky, temporarily cutting off intelligence-sharing with the country and suspending weapon deliveries to the nation - then to back off in the wake of concerned European allies who caution a Ukrainian collapse could destabilise the whole area.

The president loves to tout his ability to meet and negotiate agreements, but his face-to-face meetings with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders have not appeared to move the hostilities any nearer a resolution.

Putin may actually be exploiting the US leader's wish for a deal – and faith in in-person deal-making - as a method of influencing him.

During the summer, Russia's leader consented to a high-level meeting in the US state at the time when it seemed probable that the president would approve on congressional sanctions package supported by Senate Republicans. That legislation was subsequently put on hold.

Recently, as reports spread that the White House was seriously contemplating shipping Tomahawk cruise missiles and air defense systems to Ukraine, the Russian leader phoned Trump who then touted the possible summit in Budapest.

The next day, Trump hosted Zelensky at the executive residence, but departed empty-handed after a reportedly tense meeting.

The US leader maintained that he was not being played by the Russian president.

"You know, I've been played throughout my career by skilled operators, and I emerged really well," he said.

But the Ukrainian leader subsequently commented on the timeline of developments.

"Once the matter of advanced weaponry became a little further away for us – for our nation – Russia almost automatically became less interested in diplomacy," he stated.

So, in a short period, Trump has bounced from considering the idea of providing weapons to Ukraine to planning a Budapest summit with Putin and confidentially urging the Ukrainian president to surrender all of Donbas – even land Russian forces has been failed to capture.

He has ultimately settled on advocating a ceasefire along present frontlines – a proposal Russia 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 pledge, admitting that concluding the war is turning out more difficult than he expected.

It has been a rare acknowledgement of the limits of his power – and the difficulty of establishing a framework for peace when both parties wants, or can afford to, cease hostilities.