Sept. 1--President Donald Trump sent his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to New York to deliver a stern message to the top aide of Ukrainian dictator Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Get your act together and produce an agenda for the proposed meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Although there was no official read out on the meeting, sources close to the White House report that Trump blames the delay in setting up the meeting on the strutting Zelenskyy and his refusal to follow the outline of an agenda for discussions worked out between Putin and Trump at their Aug. 15 Alaska summit, and Witkoff told Presidential aide Andriy Yermack and First Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya that he and Trump were losing their patience with Ukrainians.

Putin never agreed to meet with Zelenskyy without conditions, the White House source reported. "Trump told the Ukrainian in Washington that the meeting had to have an agenda that would discuss the issues laid out in his talks with Putin," said a source. "That included security guarantees, as well as land and border issues, and the terms for a ceasefire in place, without reinforcement or resupply. The Russians have told Trump that Zelenskyy is acting as if there is no agenda." Trump has given them two weeks to work things out or he would go in a different direction to force a peace deal—and the clock is ticking. Steve made that clear, in a friendly non threatening manner, which is his way."

The Ukrainians were in town for a UN Security Council session to discuss the most recent Russian bombardment of targets in Kyiv. Trump, the sources say, realizes that only progress in the peace process will lead to a halt in such attacks. 

It is not clear whether the Ukrainians got Trump's message. Yermak continued Kyiv's policy of blaming the Russians for the delay in the meeting with Putin. He posted on his X account: “Ukraine welcomes all peace initiatives put forward by the United States. But unfortunately, each of them is being stalled by Russia. We are open to direct negotiations at the leaders’ level and ready to discuss the broadest spectrum of issues. We believe that global pressure is needed to ensure Russia is genuinely ready to move toward peace and, in particular, to hold critically important leaders’ meetings for that purpose.”

In addition, Yermak remarked to the press following the meeting, "at least it is clear that the Americans are not forcing us to concede any land to the Russians."