Why Donald Trump Secured a Breakthrough in the Middle East Yet Faces Challenges With Vladimir Putin Concerning Ukraine

Accounts of an upcoming American-Russian leadership meeting have been greatly exaggerated, apparently.

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

A preliminary meeting by the both countries' leading diplomats has been called off, too.

"I prefer not to have a fruitless discussion," President Trump told the press at the executive mansion on Tuesday afternoon. "I don't want a pointless effort, so I'll see what transpires."

• Trump says he did not want a 'wasted meeting' after plan for negotiations with Putin shelved
• Disappointment in Ukraine's capital as Zelensky departs White House without results

The frequently changing summit is another twist in the president's attempts to broker an end to hostilities in the Eastern European nation – a subject of increased attention for the American leader after he arranged a truce and hostage release deal in Gaza.

While making remarks in the North African country recently to celebrate that ceasefire agreement, Trump addressed Steve Witkoff, with a new request.

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

However, the circumstances that aligned to make a Middle East success possible for the negotiation team may be difficult to replicate in a Ukraine war that has been raging for nearing several years.

Reduced Influence

Per Witkoff, the crucial element to unlocking a agreement was the Israeli government's decision to strike Hamas negotiators in Qatar. It was a move that infuriated US partners in the Arab world but gave Trump bargaining power to pressure Israel's leader Netanyahu into making a deal.

Trump benefited from a long record of supporting the Israeli state since his first term, encompassing his decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, to change America's position on the lawfulness of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, in recent times, his support for Israeli defense operations against Iran.

The US president, actually, is more popular among Israelis than their prime minister – a position that gave him special sway over the nation's head.

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

In the Ukraine war, on the other hand, Trump has significantly reduced influence. In recent months, he has swung between efforts to pressure the Russian president and then the Ukrainian leader, all with minimal visible progress.

Trump has warned to impose new sanctions on Russian energy exports and to supply Ukraine with advanced missile systems. But he has also acknowledged that such actions could disrupt the world's financial stability and further escalate the conflict.

Meanwhile, the president has publicly berated Zelensky, halting briefly information exchange with the country and pausing arms shipments to the nation - then to back off in the face of concerned European allies who warn a Ukrainian collapse could disrupt the whole area.

The president often boasts about his skill to sit down and negotiate agreements, but his personal discussions with both Putin and Zelensky haven't seemed to move the war any nearer a resolution.

Putin may actually be exploiting the US leader's wish for a deal – and belief in direct negotiations - as a method of manipulating him.

In July, Putin agreed to a summit in Alaska just as it appeared likely that Trump would approve on legislative penalties supported by Senate Republicans. That legislation was afterwards delayed.

Last week, as news emerged that the US administration 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, the president hosted Ukraine's leader at the White House, but departed empty-handed after a reportedly tense meeting.

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

"You know, I have been manipulated all my life by skilled operators, and I emerged really well," he remarked.

However the Ukrainian leader later made note of the timeline of developments.

"Once the issue of advanced weaponry became a little further away for Ukraine – for Ukraine – the Russian side almost automatically became less interested in diplomacy," he said.

Thus, in a matter of days, Trump has bounced from considering the idea of sending missiles to the Eastern European country to planning a Budapest summit with Russia's leader and confidentially urging the Ukrainian president to surrender all of Donbas – even territory Russia has been failed to capture.

He has ultimately settled on advocating a ceasefire along current battle lines – something the Russian government has refused to accept.

On the campaign trail last year, Trump promised that he could resolve the conflict in Ukraine in a matter of hours. He has since discarded that pledge, admitting that ending the hostilities is proving more difficult than he anticipated.

It has been a rare acknowledgement of the limits of his authority – and the challenge of establishing a peace plan when both parties wants, or is able to, give up the fight.