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Reports of an upcoming American-Russian leadership meeting have been overstated, it seems.

Just days after Donald Trump said he planned to meet 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 meeting by the both countries' leading diplomats has been cancelled, too.

"I don't want to have a wasted meeting," President Trump told reporters at the executive mansion on a recent weekday. "I aim to avoid a waste of time, so I'll see what transpires."

• Trump says he did not want a 'wasted meeting' after plan for Putin talks postponed
• Letdown in Ukraine's capital as President Zelensky departs Washington without results

The frequently changing meeting is just the latest development in Trump's efforts to mediate an conclusion to war in Ukraine – a subject of renewed focus for the US president after he arranged a truce and prisoner exchange agreement in the Palestinian territory.

While making remarks in the North African country recently to commemorate that ceasefire agreement, Trump turned to his lead diplomatic negotiator, with a fresh directive.

"We have to get Russia done," he said.

However, the conditions that converged to make a Middle East success possible for the negotiation team may be difficult to replicate in a conflict in Ukraine that has been ongoing for almost several years.

Less Leverage

Per Witkoff, the crucial element to achieving a deal was Israel's decision to attack Hamas negotiators in Qatar. It was a action that angered US partners in the Arab world but gave Trump leverage to pressure Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump benefited from a history of siding with Israel dating back to his initial presidency, including his choice to relocate the American embassy to the contested city, to change America's position on the legality of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, in recent times, his support for Israel's military campaign against the Islamic Republic.

The American leader, actually, is more popular among Israelis than their prime minister – a position that provided him with special sway over the Israeli leader.

Add in Trump's connections in politics and business to influential Arab nations in the region, and he had a abundant diplomatic muscle to force an agreement.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, on the other hand, Trump has much less leverage. In recent months, he has vacillated between efforts to pressure the Russian president and then the Ukrainian leader, all with little seeming effect.

The US leader has threatened to enact new sanctions on Russian energy exports and to provide Ukraine with advanced missile systems. But he has also acknowledged that doing so could harm the global economy and intensify the war.

At the same time, the president has publicly berated Ukraine's president, temporarily cutting off intelligence-sharing with the country and suspending arms shipments to the country - then to retreat in the wake of concerned European allies who warn a defeat of Ukraine could disrupt the whole area.

Trump loves to tout his skill to meet and hammer out deals, but his personal discussions with both Putin and Zelensky have not appeared to advance the war any closer to a resolution.

Putin may in fact be exploiting the US leader's wish for a deal – and belief in direct negotiations - as a means of influencing him.

During the summer, Russia's leader consented to a summit in the US state just as it appeared likely that the president would approve on congressional sanctions package backed by Senate Republicans. That bill was subsequently put on hold.

Last week, as reports spread that the White House was considering seriously sending long-range missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Kyiv, the Russian leader phoned Trump who then touted the possible summit in Hungary.

The next day, Trump welcomed Zelensky at the executive residence, but departed empty-handed after a reportedly strained discussion.

Trump maintained that he was not being played by the Russian president.

"You know, I have been manipulated all my life by the best of them, and I came out successfully," he said.

But the president of Ukraine later commented on the sequence of events.

"As soon as the issue of long-range mobility became a less accessible for Ukraine – for Ukraine – Russia almost automatically became less interested in negotiations," he stated.

So, in a short period, the president has bounced from considering the idea of providing weapons to the Eastern European country to planning a meeting in Hungary with Russia's leader and confidentially urging Zelensky to surrender all of Donbas – including territory Russian forces has been unable to conquer.

He has finally settled on advocating a ceasefire along current battle lines – something Russia has refused to accept.

During his election campaign last year, the candidate vowed that he could resolve the Ukraine war in a very short time. He has subsequently discarded that commitment, saying that ending the war is proving harder than he anticipated.

It has been a uncommon admission of the limits of his authority – and the difficulty of establishing a peace plan when both parties wants, or is able to, give up the fight.