In brief
Donald Trump's recent attempts to negotiate peace in Gaza have succeeded, contrasting sharply with his stalled efforts to engage with Vladimir Putin over Ukraine. While Trump managed a breakthrough with a ceasefire in Gaza, his proposed summit with Putin has been indefinitely suspended, highlighting the different dynamics at play in these geopolitical conflicts.
Reports of an impending US-Russia leadership summit have been greatly exaggerated, it seems.Just days after Donald Trump said he planned to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest - 'within two weeks or so' - the summit has been suspended indefinitely.A preliminary get-together by the two nations' top diplomats has been cancelled, too.I don't want to have a wasted meeting, President Trump told reporters at the White House. I don't want to have a waste of time, so I'll see what happens. The on-again, off-again summit is just the latest twist in Trump's efforts to broker an end to war in Ukraine – a subject of renewed focus for the US president after he arranged a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza.While making remarks in Egypt last week to celebrate that ceasefire agreement, Trump turned to Steve Witkoff, his lead diplomatic negotiator, with a new request.We have to get Russia done, he said.However, the circumstances that aligned to make a Gaza breakthrough possible may be difficult to replicate in a Ukraine war that has been raging for nearing four years.
