Trump's Diplomatic Dilemmas: Striking Deals with Gaza vs. Stalemates in Ukraine

Wed Oct 22 2025 12:43:28 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Donald Trump faces contrasting challenges in diplomacy: achieving a breakthrough in Gaza while struggling to make headway in negotiations over the ongoing war in Ukraine. Find out what factors are at play in these international conflicts.

After successfully brokering a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, Donald Trump's efforts to engage Russia over the Ukraine conflict have stalled, with a planned summit between him and Putin suspended. The dynamics that enabled success in the Middle East don't translate to Ukraine, where Trump lacks leverage and faces obstacles in negotiating with both Putin and Zelensky.

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, Trump told reporters. The ongoing saga reflects the complexities of foreign diplomacy.

Trump's surge in diplomatic success with Israel has contrasted sharply with the stalling situation in Ukraine. His efforts to negotiate peace in the war-torn region seem to lack the essential pressures he leveraged in the recent Gaza ceasefire, with much less political authority over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

While Trump managed to exert forceful influence to broker peace talks in Gaza, his advances towards Putin feel mired in uncertainty. Recent shifts in his strategy reveal the notable differences in approaching each conflict.

The lack of leverage with Ukraine's situation means Trump hasn't achieved tangible results, even as he continues to navigate a complex landscape of war and diplomacy.