🔗 Share this article

Accounts of an upcoming US-Russia leadership summit have been greatly exaggerated, it seems.

Only a few days after Donald Trump announced he planned to confer with Russia's leader Putin in Budapest - "within two weeks or so" - the summit has been put off without a new date.

A preliminary get-together by the both countries' leading diplomats has been called off, too.

"I don't want to have a wasted meeting," Donald Trump informed reporters at the executive mansion on a recent weekday. "I aim to avoid a waste of time, so I will observe what transpires."

• Donald Trump states he did not want a 'unproductive session' after arrangement for negotiations with Putin shelved
• Disappointment in Kyiv as Zelensky leaves Washington empty-handed

The on-again, off-again meeting is just the latest twist in the president's efforts to broker an end to hostilities in the Eastern European nation – a subject of increased attention for the US president after he orchestrated a truce and hostage release deal in the Palestinian territory.

During a speech in Egypt recently to celebrate that truce deal, the president addressed his lead diplomatic negotiator, with a new request.

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

However, the conditions that aligned to make a Middle East success possible for Witkoff and his team may be difficult to duplicate in a Ukraine war that has been raging for nearing several years.

Less Leverage

Per Witkoff, the crucial element to unlocking a deal was the Israeli government's decision to attack representatives of Hamas in the Gulf state. It was a action that angered US partners in the Arab world but provided Trump leverage to compel Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into making a deal.

Trump benefited from a history of siding with Israel dating back to his initial presidency, encompassing his decision to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, to alter America's position on the lawfulness of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and, in recent times, his support for Israeli defense operations against the Islamic Republic.

The US president, in fact, is more popular among Israelis than Netanyahu – a position that gave him unique influence over the nation's head.

Add in the president's political and economic ties to key Arab players in the region, and he had a abundant negotiating strength to secure an deal.

In the Ukraine war, by contrast, Trump has much less leverage. In recent months, he has swung between attempts to pressure Putin and then Zelensky, all with little seeming effect.

Trump has warned to impose new sanctions on Russian energy exports and to provide Ukraine with new long-range weapons. But he has also recognised that doing so could disrupt the global economy and further escalate the war.

Meanwhile, the US leader has criticized openly Zelensky, temporarily cutting off information exchange with Ukraine and suspending weapon deliveries to the nation - then to back off in the face of concerned European allies who warn a defeat of Ukraine could destabilise the entire region.

The president loves to tout his ability to sit down 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.

The Russian president may in fact be exploiting Trump's desire for a settlement – and faith in direct negotiations - as a method of manipulating him.

During the summer, Russia's leader consented to a summit in Alaska at the time when it appeared likely that the president would approve on legislative penalties supported by GOP senators. That legislation was afterwards put on hold.

Recently, as news emerged that the US administration was considering seriously shipping long-range missiles and air defense systems to Ukraine, the Russian leader called the US president who then touted the potential summit in Hungary.

The next day, Trump hosted Zelensky at the White House, but departed empty-handed after a reportedly strained discussion.

Trump maintained that he was not being manipulated by Putin.

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

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

"As soon as the issue of advanced weaponry became a less accessible for us – for Ukraine – the Russian side quickly became less engaged in negotiations," he stated.

Thus, in a matter of days, Trump has shifted from considering the idea of providing weapons to Ukraine to planning a meeting in Hungary with Putin and privately pressuring Zelensky to surrender the entire Donbas region – even territory Russian forces has been unable to conquer.

He has ultimately settled on calling for a ceasefire along current battle lines – a proposal Russia has refused to accept.

During his election campaign previously, the candidate vowed that he could end the Ukraine war in a matter of hours. He has since discarded that commitment, admitting that ending the war is turning out harder than he anticipated.

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