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Reports of an impending US-Russia presidential meeting have been greatly exaggerated, it seems.

Just days after President Trump said he intended to meet Russia's leader Vladimir Putin in the Hungarian capital - "within two weeks or so" - the high-level talks has been suspended indefinitely.

A preliminary meeting by the two nations' top diplomats has been called off, as well.

"I don't want to have a fruitless discussion," President Trump informed reporters at the executive mansion on a recent weekday. "I don't want a pointless effort, so I'll see what transpires."

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

The on-again, off-again meeting is another development in Trump's efforts to broker an end to hostilities in the Eastern European nation – a topic of renewed focus for the US president after he arranged a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in Gaza.

While making remarks in Egypt recently to celebrate that ceasefire agreement, 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 Middle East success achievable for the negotiation team may be difficult to replicate in a conflict in Ukraine that has been raging for nearing four years.

Reduced Influence

Per the lead negotiator, the key to achieving a deal was Israel's move to strike Hamas negotiators in Qatar. It was a action that infuriated US partners in the Arab world but provided the president bargaining power to compel Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into making a deal.

Trump benefited from a history of supporting the Israeli state dating back to his first term, including his choice to move the US embassy to the contested city, to alter US policy on the legality of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, more recently, his support for Israeli defense operations against Iran.

The American leader, in fact, is more popular among the Israeli public than Netanyahu – a position that gave him special sway over the nation's head.

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

In the Ukraine war, on the other hand, Trump has much less influence. Over the past nine months, he has swung between attempts to pressure Putin and then Zelensky, all with little seeming effect.

Trump has threatened to enact new sanctions on Russian energy exports and to supply the Ukrainian forces with advanced missile systems. But he has also recognised 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 the country and pausing weapon deliveries to the nation - only to then retreat in the wake of worried European partners who caution a Ukrainian collapse could disrupt the whole area.

The president loves to tout his skill to sit down and negotiate agreements, but his personal discussions with both Putin and Zelensky have not appeared to advance the hostilities any closer to a resolution.

The Russian president may actually be using Trump's desire for a deal – and belief in in-person deal-making - as a means of influencing him.

In July, Putin consented to a high-level meeting in the US state just as it seemed probable that the president would approve on legislative penalties backed by Senate Republicans. That legislation was afterwards delayed.

Last week, as news emerged that the US administration was considering seriously shipping long-range missiles and air defense systems to Kyiv, the president of Russia called Trump who then touted the possible meeting in Budapest.

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

Trump insisted that he was not being manipulated by the Russian president.

"As you are aware, I have been manipulated all my life by skilled operators, and I emerged successfully," he said.

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

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

Thus, in a matter of days, Trump has shifted from considering the idea of sending missiles to Ukraine to organizing a Budapest summit with Putin and confidentially pressuring the Ukrainian president to surrender the entire Donbas region – including territory Russia has been failed to capture.

He has ultimately decided on calling for a truce along present frontlines – something the Russian government has rejected.

On the campaign trail previously, the candidate vowed that he could end the conflict in Ukraine in a very short time. He has since discarded that pledge, saying that concluding the hostilities is turning out harder than he expected.

It has been a rare acknowledgement of the limits of his authority – and the difficulty of finding a framework for peace when both parties wants, or is able to, give up the fight.