Why Trump Achieved a Major Step in the Middle East But Faces Challenges Regarding Putin Concerning the Ukraine Conflict

Reports of an upcoming US-Russia presidential meeting have been greatly exaggerated, it seems.

Just days after President Trump announced he intended to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest - "within two weeks or so" - the high-level talks has been suspended indefinitely.

A initial meeting by the two nations' top diplomats has been called off, as well.

"I prefer not to have a fruitless discussion," President Trump informed reporters at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. "I don't want a pointless effort, so I will observe what transpires."

• Trump says he wished to avoid a 'wasted meeting' 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 the president's attempts to broker an end to war in the Eastern European nation – a subject of renewed focus for the American leader after he orchestrated a truce and hostage release agreement in the Palestinian territory.

While making remarks in Egypt recently to celebrate that truce deal, the president addressed Steve Witkoff, with a fresh directive.

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

However, the conditions that aligned to make a Gaza breakthrough possible for Witkoff and his team may be difficult to duplicate in a Ukraine war that has been raging for nearing four years.

Less Leverage

Per the lead negotiator, the crucial element to unlocking a deal was Israel's move to strike Hamas negotiators in Qatar. It was a move that infuriated US partners in the Arab world but provided the president bargaining power to compel Israel's leader Netanyahu into making a deal.

Trump gained from a history of supporting Israel dating back to his initial presidency, including his choice to relocate the American embassy to Jerusalem, to change US policy on the lawfulness of Jewish communities in the West Bank and, more recently, his support for Israeli defense operations against Iran.

The American leader, in fact, is better regarded among the Israeli public than their prime minister – a situation that provided him with special sway over the nation's head.

Combine Trump's political and economic ties to key Arab players in the region, and he had a abundant diplomatic muscle to force an deal.

In the Ukraine war, on the other hand, the president has significantly reduced influence. Over the past nine months, he has swung between attempts to strong-arm Putin and then the Ukrainian leader, all with little seeming effect.

The US leader has threatened to impose new sanctions on Russia's oil and gas sales and to supply Ukraine with advanced missile systems. But he has also acknowledged that doing so could harm the world's financial stability and further escalate the war.

At the same time, the US leader has criticized openly Ukraine's president, temporarily cutting off intelligence-sharing with the country and pausing weapon deliveries to the country - only to then retreat in the face of worried European partners who warn a defeat of Ukraine could disrupt the whole area.

The president loves to tout his ability to sit down and hammer out deals, but his face-to-face meetings with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders haven't seemed to advance the war any closer to a resolution.

The Russian president may in fact be exploiting Trump's desire for a settlement – and faith in in-person deal-making - as a means of influencing him.

In July, Putin agreed to a high-level meeting in Alaska at the time when it seemed probable that the president would approve on congressional sanctions package backed by GOP senators. That bill was afterwards delayed.

Last week, as news emerged that the White House was seriously contemplating sending long-range missiles and Patriot anti-air batteries to Ukraine, the Russian leader called the US president who then promoted the potential meeting in Hungary.

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

Trump maintained that he was not being manipulated by Putin.

"As you are aware, I have been manipulated throughout my career by skilled operators, and I came out successfully," he remarked.

However the Ukrainian leader subsequently commented on the sequence of events.

"Once the matter of long-range mobility became a little further away for Ukraine – for Ukraine – the Russian side quickly became less engaged in diplomacy," 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 pressuring Zelensky to surrender all of Donbas – including territory Russian forces has been failed to capture.

He has finally settled on calling for a truce along present frontlines – a proposal Russia has rejected.

On the campaign trail previously, Trump promised that he could resolve the conflict in Ukraine in a matter of hours. He has subsequently abandoned that commitment, saying that ending the hostilities is turning out harder than he expected.

It has been a rare acknowledgement of the limits of his power – and the difficulty of establishing a peace plan when both parties wants, or is able to, cease hostilities.