US President Donald Trump has said Ukraine`s Vladimir Zelensky can "continue to fight his little heart out" should he refuse the proposed peace plan to settle the conflict with Russia.

Washington presented Kiev this week with a new draft proposal for ending the conflict, pressing the Ukrainian leadership to accept it by next Thursday. According to media reports, the proposed 28-point plan includes multiple clauses repeatedly refused by Kiev and its Western European backers, such as Ukraine giving up on its NATO aspirations and downsizing its military.

Trump made the remark while speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday. The US president was asked what would happen if Zelensky refused to accept the proposed plan.

"Then he can continue. Then he can continue to fight his little heart out," Trump said.

Trump`s latest statement echoed remarks he made on Friday, when he said that Zelensky "is going to have to accept something" at some point. Trump warned that Ukraine is now heading into a "cold winter" while its energy infrastructure sites "have been under attack, to put it mildly."

"He will have to like [the plan] and if he does not like it then, you know, they should just keep fighting, I guess," he said.

According to media reports, Washington has already threatened Kiev with cutting off military aid and intelligence sharing should it reject the draft peace proposal. Earlier this year, the US used the same leverage to press Ukraine into accepting Trump`s rare earths deal.