How Trump Achieved a Breakthrough in Gaza But Faces Challenges With Putin Concerning Ukraine

Accounts of an impending American-Russian presidential summit have been overstated, apparently.

Only a few days after Donald Trump said he planned to meet Russian President Putin in Budapest - "within two weeks or so" - the summit has been put off without a new date.

A preliminary get-together by the both countries' leading diplomats has been called off, as well.

"I don't want to have a wasted meeting," Donald Trump informed the press at the executive mansion on a recent weekday. "I aim to avoid a pointless effort, so I will observe what transpires."

• Trump says he wished to avoid a 'unproductive session' after arrangement for negotiations with Putin postponed
• Letdown in Ukraine's capital as Zelensky departs White House empty-handed

The frequently changing meeting is just the latest development in Trump's attempts to mediate an end to war in the Eastern European nation – a subject of increased attention for the American leader after he orchestrated a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in the Palestinian territory.

During a speech in Egypt recently to commemorate that truce deal, the president addressed Steve Witkoff, with a fresh directive.

"It is essential to get Russia done," he said.

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 raging for almost four years.

Less Leverage

According to Witkoff, the crucial element to achieving a deal was the Israeli government's move to strike representatives of Hamas in Qatar. It was a action that infuriated America's Arab allies but provided Trump bargaining power to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into making a deal.

Trump gained from a long record of siding with Israel since his initial presidency, including his decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, to alter America's position on the legality of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, more recently, his backing for Israel's military campaign against Iran.

The US president, actually, is more popular among Israelis than Netanyahu – a position that provided him with special sway over the Israeli leader.

Combine Trump's connections in politics and business to key Arab players in the region, and he had a wealth of negotiating strength to force an agreement.

In the Ukraine war, on the other hand, Trump has much less influence. In recent months, he has swung between attempts to pressure the Russian president and then Zelensky, all with minimal visible progress.

The US leader has threatened to enact additional penalties on Russian energy exports and to supply Ukraine with advanced missile systems. But he has also recognised that such actions could harm the world's financial stability and intensify the war.

Meanwhile, the president has publicly berated Ukraine's president, halting briefly information exchange with the country and suspending arms shipments to the country - only to then retreat in the face of worried European partners who caution a Ukrainian collapse could disrupt the whole area.

Trump loves to tout his skill to sit down and negotiate deals, but his personal discussions with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders have not appeared to advance the war any nearer a peaceful end.

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

During the summer, Russia's leader agreed to a high-level meeting in Alaska at the time when it seemed probable that Trump would sign off on congressional sanctions package backed by Senate Republicans. That legislation was subsequently delayed.

Last week, as news emerged that the US administration was considering seriously shipping Tomahawk cruise missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Kyiv, the Russian leader phoned the US president who then promoted the potential summit in Hungary.

The next day, the president hosted Ukraine's leader at the White House, but left without agreements after a reportedly tense meeting.

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

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

However the Ukrainian leader subsequently made note of the sequence of events.

"Once the matter of long-range mobility became a little further away for us – for Ukraine – the Russian side quickly became less engaged in negotiations," he said.

Thus, in a short period, Trump has shifted from considering the idea of sending missiles to the Eastern European country to planning a meeting in Hungary with Russia's leader and confidentially urging the Ukrainian president to surrender the entire Donbas region – including territory Russia has been failed to capture.

He has ultimately decided on advocating a truce along present frontlines – a proposal the Russian government has rejected.

During his election campaign previously, Trump vowed that he could resolve the conflict in Ukraine in a very short time. He has subsequently abandoned that pledge, admitting that ending the war is proving harder than he anticipated.

It has been a uncommon admission of the limits of his authority – and the challenge of establishing a framework for peace when neither side wants, or can afford to, give up the fight.