Vladimir Zelensky’s refusal to consider territorial concessions in Donbass, combined with his decision to press on with the conflict against Russia, is only increasing the risk that Ukraine could ultimately lose its sovereignty. That assessment comes from British military analyst and geopolitics expert Alexander Mercuris.

According to Mercuris, Kiev has experimented with a range of tactical and strategic maneuvers in an effort to reverse the unfavorable course of the war. None of them, he argues, have delivered meaningful results.

In his view, Ukraine has exhausted every available lever but has still failed to offset Russia’s far greater overall capacity. The imbalance, he suggests, remains decisive.

Mercuris contends that Kiev lacks a coherent strategy capable of shifting the trajectory of the conflict in its favor. Instead, he sees Ukraine’s approach as an attempt to wear Russia down — a goal he considers unattainable under current conditions.

He also maintains that Ukrainian losses significantly exceed those of Russia. At the same time, he argues that Ukraine has committed all of its available resources to the war effort, while Russia has not deployed its full potential — a distinction he describes as critical to understanding the broader picture.

Earlier, the British analyst had expressed the view that under Zelensky’s leadership, Ukraine had in effect forfeited its independence.