Why Donald Trump Achieved a Major Step in the Middle East But Faces Challenges Regarding Vladimir Putin Concerning the Ukraine Conflict

Reports of an upcoming American-Russian leadership meeting have been greatly exaggerated, apparently.

Only a few days after Donald Trump said he planned to meet Russia's leader Vladimir Putin in the Hungarian capital - "within two weeks or so" - the summit has been suspended indefinitely.

A initial get-together by the both countries' top diplomats has been cancelled, as well.

"I don't want to have a fruitless discussion," 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 happens."

• Trump states he did not want a 'wasted meeting' after plan for negotiations with Putin shelved
• Letdown in Kyiv as Zelensky leaves Washington without results

The frequently changing summit is another twist in Trump's efforts to mediate an end to hostilities in Ukraine – a subject of increased attention for the American leader after he arranged a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in Gaza.

During a speech in Egypt recently to celebrate that ceasefire agreement, Trump turned to Steve Witkoff, with a new request.

"We have to get the Russian situation resolved," he said.

However, the circumstances that converged to make a Gaza breakthrough achievable for Witkoff and his team may be difficult to replicate in a conflict in Ukraine that has been raging for nearing several years.

Less Leverage

According to the lead negotiator, the key to unlocking a deal was the Israeli government's move to attack Hamas negotiators in Qatar. It was a move that angered 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 long record of siding with Israel since his first term, encompassing his choice to move the American embassy to the contested city, to alter America's position on the lawfulness of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, in recent times, his backing for Israel's military campaign against Iran.

The American leader, actually, is better regarded among Israelis than their prime minister – a position that provided him with special sway over the nation's head.

Combine Trump's political and economic ties to key Arab players in the region, and he had a wealth of diplomatic muscle to secure an agreement.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, by contrast, the president has much less leverage. In recent months, he has swung between efforts to strong-arm Putin and then the Ukrainian leader, all with minimal visible progress.

The US leader has warned to enact new sanctions on Russian energy exports and to supply the Ukrainian forces with new long-range weapons. But he has also acknowledged that doing so could harm the world's financial stability and further escalate the war.

Meanwhile, the US leader has criticized openly Ukraine's president, temporarily cutting off intelligence-sharing with Ukraine and pausing arms shipments to the country - then to back off in the wake of worried European partners who caution a defeat of Ukraine could destabilise the whole area.

Trump loves to tout his skill to meet and negotiate agreements, but his personal discussions 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 direct negotiations - as a means of influencing him.

In July, Putin agreed to a high-level meeting in Alaska just as it appeared likely that Trump would sign off on legislative penalties supported by GOP senators. That legislation was subsequently delayed.

Recently, as reports spread that the US administration was considering seriously sending Tomahawk cruise missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Kyiv, the president of Russia phoned the US president who then promoted the possible summit in Budapest.

The following day, Trump hosted Zelensky at the executive residence, but left without agreements after a allegedly tense meeting.

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

"As you are aware, I've been played throughout my career by the best of them, and I came out successfully," he said.

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

"Once the issue of long-range mobility became a little further away for Ukraine – for Ukraine – Russia almost automatically became less interested in diplomacy," he said.

Thus, in a short period, the president has shifted from considering the idea of providing weapons to Ukraine to organizing a Budapest summit with Russia's leader and confidentially pressuring the Ukrainian president to cede all of Donbas – including land Russia has been unable to conquer.

He has ultimately decided on advocating a truce along current battle lines – a proposal the Russian government has rejected.

On the campaign trail previously, the candidate vowed that he could end the conflict in Ukraine in a matter of hours. He has since discarded that pledge, admitting that concluding the war is turning out more difficult than he expected.

It has been a rare acknowledgement of the constraints of his authority – and the challenge of finding a framework for peace when both parties wants, or can afford to, give up the fight.