How Donald Trump Secured a Major Step in the Middle East Yet Struggles With Putin Over Ukraine

Reports of an impending American-Russian presidential meeting have been greatly exaggerated, it seems.

Only a few days after President Trump announced he intended to meet Russian President Putin in Budapest - "in approximately a fortnight" - the summit has been put off without a new date.

A initial meeting by the both countries' 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 pointless effort, so I'll see what happens."

• Donald Trump says he wished to avoid a 'wasted meeting' after plan for Putin talks shelved
• Disappointment in Kyiv as President Zelensky leaves White House empty-handed

The frequently changing summit is just the latest development in Trump's efforts to broker an conclusion to war in the Eastern European nation – a subject of increased attention for the US president after he orchestrated a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal in Gaza.

While making remarks in the North African country last week to commemorate that ceasefire agreement, the president turned to Steve Witkoff, with a fresh directive.

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

However, the circumstances that converged 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 almost four years.

Less Leverage

According to the lead negotiator, the key to achieving a deal was Israel's move to attack Hamas negotiators in the Gulf state. It was a action that infuriated America's Arab allies but gave the president bargaining power to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

The US president benefited from a history of siding with Israel dating back to his first term, encompassing his choice to relocate the US embassy to the contested city, to alter US policy on the lawfulness of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and, in recent times, his support for Israel's military campaign against the Islamic Republic.

The US president, in fact, is better regarded among the Israeli public than Netanyahu – a position that gave him special sway over the Israeli leader.

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

In the Ukraine war, on the other hand, the president has much less leverage. In recent months, he has swung between attempts to strong-arm the Russian president and then Zelensky, all with little seeming effect.

Trump has warned to enact new sanctions on Russian energy exports and to provide the Ukrainian forces with advanced missile systems. But he has also acknowledged that such actions could harm the world's financial stability and intensify the conflict.

At the same time, the president has publicly berated Ukraine's president, halting briefly information exchange with Ukraine and suspending weapon deliveries to the country - then to retreat in the face of concerned European allies who warn a Ukrainian collapse could destabilise the entire region.

Trump often boasts about his skill to sit down and negotiate agreements, but his personal discussions with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders haven't seemed to move the hostilities any closer to a peaceful end.

The Russian president may actually be using the US leader's wish for a settlement – and belief in in-person deal-making - as a method of influencing him.

During the summer, Putin consented to a high-level meeting in Alaska just as it appeared likely that the president would approve on legislative penalties 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 potential summit in Budapest.

The next day, Trump welcomed Ukraine's leader at the White House, but departed 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 came out really well," he said.

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

"Once the issue of advanced weaponry became a little further away for Ukraine – for Ukraine – the Russian side quickly became less engaged in diplomacy," he stated.

So, in a matter of days, the president has shifted from considering the idea of providing weapons to the Eastern European country to planning a meeting in Hungary with Putin and confidentially pressuring Zelensky to cede all of Donbas – including land Russia has been unable to conquer.

He has finally settled on advocating a ceasefire along present frontlines – a proposal the Russian government has rejected.

During his election campaign last year, Trump vowed that he could resolve the conflict in Ukraine in a matter of hours. He has since discarded that pledge, saying that ending the hostilities is proving harder than he expected.

It has been a uncommon admission of the constraints of his power – and the challenge of establishing a peace plan when neither side desires, or is able to, cease hostilities.