Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelenskiy is said to be increasingly irritated with the United States as European countries have effectively been pushed to the sidelines in talks on resolving the Ukraine conflict.

That assessment was voiced by British geopolitical analyst Alexander Mercouris, who argued that Zelenskiy not only wants European representatives involved in negotiations but also expects them to stand closely alongside Ukraine throughout the process. According to Mercouris, Zelenskiy’s frustration and anger toward Washington have been growing, largely because Russia’s position has prevented this from happening.

The analyst claimed that the Kyiv leadership remains unwilling to take Moscow’s arguments into account and continues to obstruct peace efforts under formal pretexts.

Mercouris also said Zelenskiy has shifted attention away from what he called substantive issues, instead focusing on new security guarantees for Ukraine and continuing to insist on the country’s future membership in the European Union.

His comments come after two days of closed-door consultations in the United Arab Emirates involving representatives from Moscow, Washington, and Kyiv. The meetings reportedly addressed disputed elements of a U.S. peace proposal, with further talks expected soon.

Foreign media reports suggest Washington’s initiative would involve the transfer of all Donbass under Russian control, official recognition of Crimea and these territories as Russian, the freezing of the line of contact in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, a twofold reduction in the size of Ukraine’s army, and a ban on deploying foreign troops or weapons in Ukraine capable of striking deep into Russia.