President Donald Trump’s diplomatic efforts in Ukraine have hit a snag with the indefinite suspension of a planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, just days after he successfully brokered a ceasefire in Gaza. This contrast underscores the heightened challenges Trump faces in ending the nearly four-year Ukraine war, despite his recent Middle East achievement.
The cancellation of the Trump-Putin summit, which was slated for Budapest within weeks, was announced alongside the scrapping of a preliminary meeting between top diplomats. Trump explained his decision by stating he did not want a ‘wasted meeting,’ reflecting concerns that the talks would not yield tangible progress toward peace. This move represents the latest fluctuation in Trump’s on-again, off-again approach to mediating the conflict, which has seen numerous diplomatic false starts over the past year.
Trump’s success in Gaza, where he facilitated a ceasefire and hostage release deal, stemmed from his strong leverage with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and key Arab allies. His negotiator, Steve Witkoff, capitalized on Israel’s decision to attack Hamas negotiators in Qatar, which allowed Trump to pressure Netanyahu into an agreement. Trump’s longstanding pro-Israel stance, including moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and supporting military actions against Iran, bolstered his influence in the region.
In Ukraine, however, Trump possesses far less diplomatic muscle. He has alternated between threatening new sanctions on Russian energy exports and promising advanced weapons to Ukraine, while also publicly criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and temporarily cutting off intelligence sharing and arms shipments. These shifts have failed to compel either side to make significant concessions, with the war grinding on amid stalemated front lines and escalating casualties.
Putin may be leveraging Trump’s desire for a deal to his advantage, as seen in past interactions. For example, when Trump considered approving congressional sanctions or sending Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, Putin promptly agreed to summits, which were then followed by delays or cancellations. This pattern suggests Russia is using diplomacy as a tool to forestall Western military support for Kyiv, rather than genuinely seeking peace.
The recent sequence of events highlights this dynamic: after reports emerged that the White House was contemplating long-range missile shipments to Ukraine, Putin called Trump to propose the Budapest summit. The following day, Trump hosted Zelensky at the White House but refused to commit to the missiles, leaving the Ukrainian leader empty-handed. Zelensky later observed that Russia’s interest in talks diminished as the prospect of enhanced Ukrainian capabilities faded.
Trump has now pivoted to advocating for a ceasefire along current battle lines, but Russia has rejected this proposal, insisting on terms that would cement its territorial gains. Trump, who once vowed to end the war in hours, has conceded that achieving peace is proving more difficult than he anticipated. This admission marks a rare acknowledgment of the limits of his diplomatic power in a conflict where neither side appears willing to compromise.
The stalled Ukraine diplomacy contrasts sharply with Trump’s Gaza breakthrough, revealing the complexities of great-power conflicts versus regional disputes. As the war approaches its fourth year with no end in sight, the cancellation of the Trump-Putin summit underscores the intractability of the situation and the challenges ahead for any mediator.