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Accounts of an upcoming US-Russia presidential meeting have been greatly exaggerated, apparently.

Only a few days after Donald Trump announced he planned to confer with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest - "within two weeks or so" - the summit has been suspended indefinitely.

A initial meeting by the two nations' top diplomats has been cancelled, as well.

"I prefer not to have a wasted meeting," Donald Trump informed the press at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. "I don't want a waste of time, so I'll see what happens."

• Donald Trump says he wished to avoid a 'wasted meeting' after plan for Putin talks postponed
• Letdown in Ukraine's capital as Zelensky departs White House without results

The on-again, off-again meeting is another twist in Trump's efforts to mediate an end to hostilities in Ukraine – a topic of renewed focus for the US president after he orchestrated a ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Palestinian territory.

During a speech in the North African country recently to celebrate that ceasefire agreement, the president addressed his lead diplomatic negotiator, with a new request.

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

However, the conditions that aligned to make a Gaza breakthrough achievable for Witkoff and his team may be difficult to duplicate in a conflict in Ukraine that has been raging for almost four years.

Reduced Influence

Per Witkoff, the crucial element to achieving a agreement was the Israeli government's move to attack Hamas negotiators in the Gulf state. It was a move that infuriated America's Arab allies but gave the president leverage to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump gained from a history of supporting the Israeli state dating back to his initial presidency, including his decision to relocate the American embassy to Jerusalem, to change America's position on the legality of Jewish communities in the occupied territories and, in recent times, his backing for Israeli defense operations against Iran.

The US president, actually, is more popular among Israelis than their prime minister – a situation that gave him special sway 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 diplomatic muscle to force an deal.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, on the other hand, the president has significantly reduced influence. Over the past nine months, he has swung between efforts to pressure Putin and then Zelensky, all with minimal visible progress.

The US leader has warned to impose additional penalties on Russian energy exports and to supply Ukraine with new long-range weapons. But he has also recognised that doing so could disrupt the global economy and intensify the conflict.

At the same time, the US leader has publicly berated Zelensky, halting briefly intelligence-sharing with Ukraine and pausing weapon deliveries to the country - then to retreat in the wake of worried European partners who caution a Ukrainian collapse could destabilise the whole area.

Trump often boasts about his ability to sit down and negotiate agreements, but his personal discussions with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders haven't seemed to advance the war any nearer a peaceful end.

The Russian president may actually be exploiting the US leader's wish for a deal – and faith in in-person deal-making - as a means of manipulating him.

During the summer, Russia's leader agreed to a summit in Alaska at the time when it seemed probable that the president would approve on legislative penalties supported by GOP senators. That legislation was afterwards delayed.

Last week, as reports spread that the US administration was considering seriously sending Tomahawk cruise missiles and air defense systems to Kyiv, the Russian leader called Trump who then promoted the potential summit in Budapest.

The following day, the president hosted Zelensky at the executive residence, but left empty-handed after a allegedly strained discussion.

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

"As you are aware, I've been played throughout my career by skilled operators, and I emerged really well," he said.

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

"As soon as the issue of long-range mobility became a less accessible for us – for our nation – the Russian side quickly became less interested in negotiations," he stated.

So, in a matter of days, the president has shifted from considering the idea of sending missiles to Ukraine to planning a meeting in Hungary with Russia's leader and confidentially urging Zelensky to cede the entire Donbas region – including land Russia has been unable to conquer.

He has finally settled on advocating a truce along current battle lines – a proposal the Russian government has refused to accept.

On the campaign trail previously, Trump vowed that he could end the Ukraine war in a matter of hours. He has since abandoned that commitment, saying that ending the hostilities is turning out harder than he expected.

It has been a rare acknowledgement of the constraints of his power – and the challenge of establishing a peace plan when both parties desires, or is able to, cease hostilities.