From Ukraine to Gaza, reality slows Trump's peace efforts
Trump has framed his efforts as a return to “pragmatic dealmaking” on the world stage. But recent setbacks - including the postponement of a planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and renewed violence in Gaza - highlight the limits of that strategy

President Donald Trump's ambitious drive to broker peace in two of the world's most volatile conflicts - Ukraine and Gaza - is running into mounting obstacles as key players resist compromise and the administration's own approach shows signs of strain.
Trump has framed his efforts as a return to "pragmatic dealmaking" on the world stage. But recent setbacks - including the postponement of a planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and renewed violence in Gaza - highlight the limits of that strategy, says CNN.
Ukraine: summit on hold amid Russian intransigence
The centerpiece of Trump's Ukraine initiative, a summit with Putin in Hungary, was shelved after preparatory talks failed to make progress. "I don't want to have a wasted meeting. I don't want to have a waste of time," Trump told reporters, adding that he would "see what happens" and that "we'll be notifying you over the next two days" about future developments.
According to a senior White House official, "there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future."
Diplomats involved in the process said the talks broke down over Russia's refusal to halt its offensive or accept a ceasefire based on current frontlines. "I guess the Russians wanted too much and it became evident for the Americans that there will be no deal for Trump in Budapest," one senior European diplomat said. Another added that the Russians "haven't at all changed their position, and are not agreeing to 'stop where they are.'"
Moscow has continued to press its demand for full control of the Donbas region, encompassing the Luhansk and Donetsk territories. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Listen, we have an understanding of the presidents, but we cannot postpone what has not been finalised. Neither President Trump nor President Putin gave exact dates." Asked about the timing, he added: "No, there is no understanding."
Putin, who has shown little interest in halting the fighting, continues to employ a war of attrition, with Russian drones attacking Ukrainian power infrastructure as winter approaches, reports Reuters.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Moscow's interest in peace wanes when Western support appears uncertain. "As soon as the issue of long - range capabilities became a little further away for us - for Ukraine-Russia almost automatically became less interested in diplomacy," Zelenskiy said.
European leaders have backed Trump's public call for a ceasefire based on current battle lines, issuing a joint statement saying they "strongly support President Trump's position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations."
Limited leverage and mixed tactics
Trump's Ukraine strategy is constrained by a lack of leverage and an inconsistent negotiating approach. Officials say he has oscillated between threatening punitive sanctions on Moscow and pressuring Kyiv to make territorial concessions.
At times, Trump has suspended US arms shipments and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, but he has stopped short of imposing "serious costs" on Russia - such as new sanctions or expanded long-range weapons deliveries - amid concerns from European allies about potential escalation and global economic fallout, says the BBC.
Some US officials and European diplomats believe Putin may be using Trump's eagerness for a personal deal to his advantage. "Putin often agrees to summits or calls when Trump seems likely to impose a price for Russian intransigence," one European source said, "only for the White House to back off serious measures once talks are back on the table."
Trump has rejected the idea that he is being manipulated. "You know, I've been played all my life by the best of them, and I came out really well," he said.
Gaza: ceasefire fragile as implementation falters
Trump's peace plan in Gaza initially drew praise after he secured a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. But the agreement has since wavered amid renewed clashes and slow implementation of the plan's next phases.
The ceasefire "teetered" after Israel accused Hamas of killing two Israeli soldiers, triggering retaliatory airstrikes that killed dozens in Gaza. Hamas, meanwhile, has reportedly used the lull to reassert control through revenge killings of alleged collaborators.
Vice President JD Vance said, "What we've seen the past week gives me great optimism the ceasefire is going to hold," but added, "Can I say with 100% certainty that it's going to work? No."
Trump's plan envisions an International Stabilization Force and a technocratic Palestinian administration as key to long-term peace. However, progress on both fronts has been slow. "The critical issue right now is to begin to put in place the alternative administration," former US peace negotiator Dennis Ross told CNN. "All that has to be implemented sooner rather than later. That creates some momentum on its own."
Trump insists regional allies are ready to help. "Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force," he wrote on Truth Social. Yet no regional states have publicly committed troops, leaving the stabilization force "closer to hope than reality," according to Western officials.
A pattern of stalled momentum
The dual track of Trump's diplomacy - personal engagement and public pressure - has produced short-term breakthroughs but limited structural progress. The stalled summit in Europe and fragile ceasefire in Gaza reflect the difficulty of sustaining deals in conflicts defined by deep-seated mistrust and asymmetry of power.
Hungary's foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, captured the mood of uncertainty, posting: "We have some serious days ahead."
As Trump told his chief negotiator, Steve Witkoff: "We have to get Russia done." But for now, both peace tracks appear to be drifting - trapped between the limits of presidential diplomacy and the hard realities of war.