Why Trump Secured a Breakthrough in Gaza But Struggles With Vladimir Putin Over Ukraine

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

Only a few days after President Trump announced he intended to confer with Russia's leader Vladimir Putin in the Hungarian capital - "in approximately a fortnight" - the high-level talks has been put off without a new date.

A preliminary get-together by the two nations' top diplomats has been cancelled, too.

"I don't want to have a wasted meeting," President Trump informed reporters at the White House on a recent weekday. "I don't want a waste of time, so I will observe what happens."

• Donald Trump states he did not want a 'unproductive session' after plan for Putin talks postponed
• Letdown in Kyiv as Zelensky leaves White House without results

The frequently changing summit is just the latest development in Trump's efforts to mediate an conclusion to war in Ukraine – a topic of increased attention for the American leader after he orchestrated a truce and hostage release agreement in the Palestinian territory.

While making remarks in the North African country recently to commemorate that truce deal, the president turned to Steve Witkoff, with a new request.

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

Nonetheless, the conditions that converged to make a Middle East success possible for the negotiation team may be challenging to replicate in a Ukraine war that has been ongoing for nearing several years.

Less Leverage

According to the lead negotiator, the crucial element to unlocking a deal was the Israeli government's decision to attack Hamas negotiators in Qatar. It was a move 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 gained from a long record of siding with Israel since his first term, including his choice to relocate the American embassy to the contested city, to change America's position on the lawfulness of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and, more recently, his backing for Israeli defense operations against Iran.

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

Combine Trump's political and economic ties to influential Arab nations in the area, and he had a wealth of diplomatic muscle to force an agreement.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, on the other hand, Trump has significantly reduced influence. Over the past nine months, he has swung between attempts to pressure the Russian president and then Zelensky, all with minimal visible progress.

Trump has warned to impose new sanctions on Russia's oil and gas sales 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 further escalate the war.

At the same time, the president has criticized openly Ukraine's president, temporarily cutting off intelligence-sharing with Ukraine and pausing arms shipments to the nation - only to then retreat in the face of concerned European allies who warn a defeat of Ukraine could disrupt the whole area.

Trump loves to tout his ability to meet and negotiate agreements, but his face-to-face meetings with both Putin and Zelensky haven't seemed to move the hostilities any closer to a resolution.

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

During the summer, Russia's leader consented to a high-level meeting in the US state just as it appeared likely that the president would approve on congressional sanctions package supported by Senate Republicans. That legislation was afterwards delayed.

Recently, as news emerged that the US administration was seriously contemplating sending long-range missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Ukraine, the president of Russia phoned Trump who then promoted the possible meeting in Hungary.

The following day, Trump hosted Ukraine's leader at the executive residence, but departed empty-handed after a allegedly tense meeting.

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

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

However the president of Ukraine later made note of the sequence of events.

"As soon as the matter of advanced weaponry became a less accessible for us – for our nation – Russia almost automatically became less interested in negotiations," he said.

Thus, in a matter of days, Trump has shifted from considering the idea of providing weapons to the Eastern European country to organizing a meeting in Hungary with Putin and confidentially urging Zelensky to cede the entire Donbas region – even land Russia has been failed to capture.

He has finally decided on advocating a truce along current battle lines – a proposal Russia has rejected.

On the campaign trail last year, Trump promised that he could end the Ukraine war in a very short time. He has subsequently discarded that pledge, saying that ending the hostilities is proving more difficult than he anticipated.

It has been a uncommon admission of the constraints of his power – and the challenge of finding a peace plan when both parties desires, or can afford to, cease hostilities.