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

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

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

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

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

• Trump states he wished to avoid a 'unproductive session' after plan for negotiations with Putin postponed
• Letdown in Ukraine's capital as Zelensky departs Washington empty-handed

The frequently changing meeting is another development in the president's attempts to broker an conclusion to hostilities in the Eastern European nation – a topic of increased attention for the American leader after he orchestrated a truce and hostage release deal in Gaza.

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

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

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

Less Leverage

Per the lead negotiator, the crucial element to unlocking a deal was Israel's decision to strike representatives of Hamas in Qatar. It was a action that angered America's Arab allies but provided Trump leverage to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu into making a deal.

Trump benefited from a history of supporting the Israeli state dating back to his first term, including his decision to relocate the American embassy to the contested city, to change America's position on the lawfulness of Jewish communities in the occupied territories and, more recently, his support for Israeli defense operations against the Islamic Republic.

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

Add in the president's political and economic ties to influential Arab nations in the region, and he had a abundant diplomatic muscle to secure an deal.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, on the other hand, the president has significantly reduced leverage. In recent months, he has swung between attempts to pressure Putin and then Zelensky, all with minimal visible progress.

Trump has threatened to enact additional penalties on Russian energy exports and to provide the Ukrainian forces with advanced missile systems. But he has also acknowledged that such actions could disrupt the global economy and further escalate the war.

At the same time, the US leader has publicly berated Zelensky, temporarily cutting off intelligence-sharing with Ukraine and pausing arms shipments to the nation - then to retreat in the wake of worried European partners who caution a defeat of Ukraine could disrupt the whole area.

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

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

During the summer, Putin consented to a summit in Alaska at the time when it seemed probable that Trump would approve on congressional sanctions package backed by Senate Republicans. That legislation was afterwards put on hold.

Last week, as reports spread that the White House was seriously contemplating sending Tomahawk cruise missiles and air defense systems to Kyiv, the Russian leader called Trump who then promoted the possible summit in Hungary.

The next day, Trump hosted Ukraine's leader at the White House, but departed empty-handed after a allegedly tense meeting.

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

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

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

"Once the issue of long-range mobility became a little further away for Ukraine – for our nation – Russia almost automatically became less engaged in negotiations," he stated.

So, in a matter of days, Trump has bounced from considering the idea of sending missiles to Ukraine to organizing a meeting in Hungary with Putin and confidentially urging Zelensky to surrender the entire Donbas region – even land Russia has been failed to capture.

He has ultimately settled on calling for a truce along present frontlines – something the Russian government has refused to accept.

On the campaign trail last year, Trump vowed that he could end the conflict in Ukraine in a matter of hours. He has subsequently abandoned that pledge, saying that ending the hostilities is turning out harder than he anticipated.

It has been a uncommon admission of the constraints of his authority – and the difficulty of establishing a peace plan when both parties wants, or can afford to, cease hostilities.