Why Trump Achieved a Breakthrough in Gaza But Faces Challenges With Putin Over Ukraine

Reports of an upcoming US-Russia leadership summit have been overstated, it seems.

Just days after President Trump announced he planned to confer with Russian President Putin in the Hungarian capital - "in approximately a fortnight" - the summit has been put off without a new date.

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

"I prefer not to have a wasted meeting," President Trump told the press at the White House on a recent weekday. "I don't want a waste of time, so I'll see what happens."

• Trump says he did not want a 'unproductive session' after arrangement for Putin talks shelved
• Disappointment in Kyiv as President Zelensky departs White House without results

The frequently changing meeting is another twist in Trump's attempts to mediate an conclusion to hostilities in Ukraine – a topic of increased attention for the US president after he orchestrated a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza.

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

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

Nonetheless, the circumstances that aligned to make a Middle East success possible for the negotiation team may be challenging to replicate in a conflict in Ukraine that has been ongoing for almost four years.

Less Leverage

Per Witkoff, the key to achieving a agreement was the Israeli government's decision to strike representatives of Hamas in Qatar. It was a action that angered US partners in the Arab world but gave Trump leverage to compel Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump benefited from a history of siding with the Israeli state since his initial presidency, encompassing his decision to relocate the US embassy to the contested city, to change America's position on the lawfulness of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and, in recent times, his backing for Israeli defense operations against the Islamic Republic.

The US president, in fact, is more popular among the Israeli public than their prime minister – a position that provided him with special sway over the Israeli leader.

Combine the president's connections in politics and business to influential Arab nations in the region, and he had a wealth of diplomatic muscle to secure an agreement.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, on the other hand, Trump has much less influence. Over the past nine months, he has swung between attempts to pressure Putin and then the Ukrainian leader, all with minimal visible progress.

Trump has warned to impose new sanctions on Russia's oil and gas sales and to provide Ukraine with new long-range weapons. But he has also acknowledged that such actions could disrupt the world's financial stability and further escalate the war.

At the same time, the US leader has publicly berated Zelensky, temporarily cutting off intelligence-sharing with Ukraine and suspending weapon deliveries to the nation - only to then back off in the face of concerned European allies who caution a Ukrainian collapse could disrupt the entire region.

Trump loves to tout his ability to meet and negotiate deals, but his personal discussions with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders haven't seemed to move the hostilities any nearer a resolution.

Putin may actually be using Trump's desire for a deal – and belief in in-person deal-making - as a method of influencing him.

During the summer, Putin agreed to a high-level meeting in Alaska just as it seemed probable that the president would approve on legislative penalties supported by Senate Republicans. That bill was afterwards put on hold.

Recently, as news emerged that the White House was seriously contemplating sending long-range missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Ukraine, the president of Russia called the US president who then promoted the possible summit in Budapest.

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

Trump maintained that he was not being manipulated by Putin.

"You know, I've been played all my life by skilled operators, and I emerged really well," he said.

However the president of Ukraine later commented on the timeline of developments.

"Once the matter of advanced weaponry became a less accessible for Ukraine – for Ukraine – the Russian side almost automatically became less interested in negotiations," he said.

So, in a matter of days, the president has bounced from considering the idea of sending missiles to the Eastern European country to organizing a Budapest summit with Russia's leader and confidentially urging the Ukrainian president to cede the entire Donbas region – including land Russian forces has been unable to conquer.

He has ultimately decided on advocating a truce along present frontlines – a proposal Russia has rejected.

During his election campaign last year, Trump vowed that he could end the conflict in Ukraine in a very short time. He has subsequently discarded that pledge, saying that concluding the hostilities is turning out more difficult than he anticipated.

It has been a uncommon admission of the constraints of his authority – and the difficulty of establishing a framework for peace when both parties desires, or is able to, cease hostilities.