'Ukraine has to eat it': White House trash talks Zelenskyy for not taking lopsided deal

Donald Trump was close to withdrawing American military support from Ukraine after its president Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to sign a peace agreement that even administration officials admit is intolerable.

Six administration officials told Axios that five incidents over the last five days angered Trump and his top officials, and he and vice president J.D. Vance have warned Zelenskyy to keep his criticism to himself after U.S. officials pushed him to hand over perpetual control of half of Ukraine's natural resources and selected infrastructure – in a deal that's been compared to a "mafia shakedown."

"It's a sh*t sandwich," a Trump administration official agreed. "But Ukraine is going to have to eat it because [Trump] has made clear this is no longer our problem."

Trump claims the Ukraine president was "rude" and delayed a Feb. 12 meeting in Kyiv with treasury secretary Scott Bessent, who first presented the proposal, and Zelenskyy surprised Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio two days later by saying he couldn't approve the deal without parliament.

ALSO READ: 'Getting out of control': Ohio Republican gives Trump a warning

"Zelenskyy is an actor who committed a common mistake of theater kids: He started to think he's the character he plays on TV," said one White House official involved in the talks. "Yes, he has been brave and stood up to Russia. But he would be six feet under if it wasn't for the millions we spent, and he needs to exit stage right with all the drama."

Zelenskyy publicly rejected and criticized the offer Feb. 15 at the Munich Security Conference after making positive remarks about it on X, and Trump became furious after he complained that Ukraine representatives had not been invited to discuss a peace agreement in Saudi Arabia with high-ranking Russian and U.S. officials.

"In the course of a week, Zelensky rebuffed president Trump's treasury secretary, his secretary of state and his vice president, all before moving on to personally insulting president Trump in the press," another administration official said. "What did Zelenskyy think was going to happen?"

The Ukraine president further angered Trump by claiming he "lives in a disinformation space," and the U.S. president called Zelenskyy a dictator and demanded new elections, which parliament had agreed to cancel next year due to the ongoing Russian invasion.

"We created a monster with Zelenskyy," said another official involved in the negotiations, "and these Trump-deranged Europeans who won't send troops are giving him terrible advice."