How Trump Achieved a Major Step in Gaza But Struggles With Vladimir Putin Concerning Ukraine

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

Only a few days after Donald Trump said he intended to confer with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest - "in approximately a fortnight" - the high-level talks has been suspended indefinitely.

A preliminary get-together by the both countries' top diplomats has been called off, too.

"I don't want to have a fruitless discussion," Donald Trump informed reporters at the White House on a recent weekday. "I aim to avoid a pointless effort, so I'll see what happens."

• Donald Trump states he did not want a 'wasted meeting' after arrangement for Putin talks shelved
• Disappointment in Ukraine's capital as Zelensky departs Washington empty-handed

The on-again, off-again summit is another development in Trump's attempts to broker an conclusion to war in the Eastern European nation – a topic of increased attention for the American leader after he orchestrated a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in Gaza.

During a speech in the North African country recently to celebrate that truce deal, Trump addressed Steve Witkoff, with a new request.

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

Nonetheless, the conditions that converged to make a Gaza breakthrough possible for the negotiation team may be challenging to replicate in a conflict in Ukraine that has been ongoing for nearing four years.

Reduced Influence

According to Witkoff, the crucial element to unlocking a agreement was Israel's decision to strike representatives of Hamas in Qatar. It was a action that infuriated America's Arab allies but gave the president leverage to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump benefited from a history of siding with the Israeli state dating back to his first term, including his decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, to alter US policy on the lawfulness of Jewish communities in the occupied territories and, more recently, his backing for Israel's military campaign against the Islamic Republic.

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

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

In the Ukraine war, by contrast, the president has much less leverage. In recent months, he has vacillated between efforts to strong-arm Putin and then Zelensky, all with little seeming effect.

The US leader has threatened to enact new sanctions on Russia's oil and gas sales and to supply Ukraine with advanced missile systems. But he has also recognised that doing so could disrupt the world's financial stability and intensify the war.

Meanwhile, the president has publicly berated Zelensky, halting briefly intelligence-sharing with Ukraine and suspending weapon deliveries to the nation - only to then back off in the wake of worried European partners who caution a defeat of Ukraine could disrupt the entire region.

The president often boasts about his ability to meet and hammer out deals, but his personal discussions with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders have not appeared to advance the hostilities any closer to a resolution.

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

During the summer, Russia's leader consented to a high-level meeting in Alaska just as it appeared likely that the president would sign off on congressional sanctions package backed by GOP senators. That bill was subsequently delayed.

Last week, as news emerged that the White House was considering seriously sending Tomahawk cruise missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Kyiv, the president of Russia called the US president who then promoted the possible summit in Budapest.

The following day, the president welcomed Ukraine's leader at the executive residence, but departed without agreements after a allegedly tense meeting.

The US leader insisted that he was not being manipulated by Putin.

"As you are aware, I have been manipulated all my life by the best of them, and I emerged successfully," he said.

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

"Once the matter of advanced weaponry became a less accessible for Ukraine – for our nation – the Russian side quickly became less engaged in negotiations," he stated.

Thus, in a matter of days, Trump has shifted from considering the idea of sending missiles to the Eastern European country to planning a meeting in Hungary with Putin and privately pressuring Zelensky to cede all of Donbas – even land Russia has been unable to conquer.

He has finally settled on advocating a truce along present frontlines – 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 commitment, saying that concluding the hostilities is proving harder than he expected.

It has been a rare acknowledgement of the constraints of his power – and the challenge of establishing a peace plan when neither side wants, or is able to, give up the fight.