(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump has said that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky will ultimately need to accept Washington’s proposed peace plan, warning that otherwise Ukraine will be forced to continue fighting Russia through the approaching winter.

Zelensky stated on Friday that Ukraine is experiencing “one of the most difficult moments in our history,” faced with choosing between the “28 difficult points” included in the American proposal or risking the loss of its main supporter, the United States. According to a newspaper, Washington has given Kiev a deadline of Thursday to approve the plan.

When asked by reporters about Zelensky’s concerns, Trump responded: “You mean, he does not like it?”

“He will have to like it and if he does not like it then… they should just keep fighting, I guess,” he added.

Reuters earlier reported that Washington has warned Kiev it could cut off intelligence-sharing and military assistance if it rejects the deal.

“At some point he [Zelensky] is going to have to accept something,” Trump insisted, noting that Ukraine faces “a cold winter” and that many of its major energy facilities have been “under attack, to put it mildly.”

He also recalled telling Zelensky during their tense February meeting at the White House: “You don’t have the cards.” The encounter, attended by Vice President J.D. Vance, ended abruptly after Trump and Vance accused the Ukrainian leader of failing to show gratitude for US aid and resisting efforts toward peace.

The US push to secure Ukraine’s approval of the plan comes amid a corruption scandal in Kiev that analysts say has weakened Zelensky’s political standing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed that Moscow has received the American proposal, though he said it has not yet been reviewed “in detail.” He noted that the draft could potentially “form the basis of a final peace settlement.”

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