General Zaluzhny: Ukraine will never agree to capitulation disguised as peace agreements

Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and current Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK Valery Zaluzhny in an article for The New York Post assures that Kiev will not agree to capitulation disguised as peace agreements, Focus writes.

According to him, the just resolution of the conflict with Russia will be the restoration of territorial integrity and the "punishment" of Moscow. In addition, Kiev must receive guarantees that "no aggressor from Moscow will threaten Europe anymore," he believes.

Any other outcome Zaluzhny considered "the least betrayal" not only to Ukrainians, but also to the principles that ensure "security and freedom". Ukraine will continue to fight, the former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine points out.

"Our strength lies not only in our soldiers, but also in the clarity of our goal: peace through victory, not illusion", writes Zaluzhny.

Henry Kissinger once wrote that the heaviest burden of a statesman is to make decisions without enough time or information, in which any mistake is irreversible. I learned this truth not only on the battlefield, but also at the negotiating table.

After decades in uniform, in 2019 I enrolled in the "Ostrokh" Academy to study international relations. I thought this would be a break from war, but instead I discovered another battlefield – diplomacy – where words are weapons and determination is the front line.

Strong flanks are as important in statecraft as they are in war. When they collapse, the enemy will seize the opportunity. As Ukraine defends its existence, we face an adversary who views diplomacy not as dialogue but as a natural extension of its military efforts. Russian negotiators, like their generals, are fighting to exhaust, confuse, and divide. Their goal is not peace but delay; not compromise in search of agreement but conquest by deception.

Ukraine has been fighting for its survival for 11 years. And yet, even now, some in the West are calling on us to negotiate with the people who came to kill us. They forget two simple truths. First, it is not just the fate of Ukraine that is at stake, but the security of Europe. Second, any "peace" with Moscow, which rewards aggression, is an invitation to new wars. The Kremlin talks about negotiations only when it feels pressured, and only to buy time. Peace on Russian terms is not peace – it is capitulation.

That is why calls for a quick, comprehensive peace agreement are dangerously premature. Real peace cannot be achieved by signing papers while Russian missiles kill civilians. That will take time, energy, and an unwavering understanding of who we are dealing with.

Russia’s so-called diplomacy is a deadly weapons system inherited from the USSR. It was created not to resolve conflicts, but to manipulate them. To understand it, we must study its architects. Andrei Gromyko, Soviet foreign minister for more than 40 years, mastered the art of negotiation as a psychological tool.

As Ukrainian general and diplomat Valery Zaluzhny explains, Russia is turning diplomacy into a trap through the "tactics of exhaustion".

A logical battle. Western diplomats call him "Mr. No" for good reason. His mission is to delay, exhaust, and dominate the conversation until the other side gives in. Every pause is tactical. Every speech is a test of endurance.

This tradition continues today in the person of Sergei Lavrov. Watch him at any international forum: long monologues, selective quotes, endless digressions designed to obfuscate the facts and distract attention. This is the "tactics of exhaustion". The goal is to make the discussion so confusing that truth loses meaning and moral clarity fades. Lavrov, like Gromyko before him, embodies the Soviet legacy of negotiation as theater – a power play designed to delay accountability.

Kissinger notes that Soviet diplomacy combined maximum demands with minimal concessions. The goal was never to reach an agreement, but to legitimize the Kremlin’s achievements and demand more. Modern Russia has adapted this to the age of propaganda. Disinformation plays the role that ideology once played. The same habits continue: denial, delay, and deception until fatigue sets in abroad and cynicism grows at home.

Every meeting with Russian officials follows a familiar pattern. First, they flood the table with lies and unnecessary details, forcing opponents to spend hours correcting lies. Second, they resort to moral relativism – accusing their opponents of precisely what they themselves do: colonialism, hypocrisy, or double standards. Third, they present aggression as reaction, occupation as defense, and genocide as self-defense. It is a cynical reversal of values calculated to paralyze democratic societies.

Understanding this method is vital not only for Ukrainian diplomats but for anyone who has dealings with Moscow. Negotiations with Russia are not a conversation, but a contest of wills.

The Russians test endurance, exploit empathy, and interpret every gesture of goodwill as weakness. The only language the Kremlin respects is consistency backed by force.

For Ukraine, wartime diplomacy has become as important as military strategy. From the first days of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian officers and diplomats have worked side by side to provide support, weapons, and sanctions. On the battlefield, clarity of mission determines victory. At the negotiating table, clarity of principles does. Both require endurance, discipline, and unity.

That is why Ukraine must train its negotiators with the same rigor with which it trains its soldiers. Preparation, psychological resilience, and knowledge of the enemy’s methods are essential. We must anticipate manipulation, resist fatigue, and maintain the initiative. As in combat, we cannot allow Russia to dictate the pace or the terms. Our job is to expose Moscow’s lies, not accommodate them.

This requires understanding not only what Russia says but how it says it. The “Gromyko method” relies on endless verbal outpourings to disguise aggression as reasonable. The modern Russian approach adds post-truth propaganda. The West must stop confusing this with real negotiations. Every hour spent debating with Russian envoys who have no mandate to compromise is an hour stolen from defending freedom.

History teaches us lessons. In 1973, after years of grueling negotiations, the Vietnam peace accords were signed. The negotiations lasted five years – 68 meetings between Henry Kissinger and his North Vietnamese counterpart. Peace came only when the military balance on the ground changed, not because negotiations themselves brought it about. The lesson is clear: diplomacy succeeds only when backed by force.

Today, the Russian Foreign Ministry acts as an extension of the country’s military machine. It buys time for rearmament, spreads lies to divide alliances, and uses international institutions as a shield for its aggression. Moscow’s envoys block resolutions, weaken sanctions, and pose as mediators while its army attacks civilians.

Ukraine does not reject peace. We reject capitulation disguised as peace. A just settlement of the conflict must restore our territorial integrity, ensure accountability for war crimes, and ensure that no aggressor ever again threatens Europe from Moscow. Anything less would be a betrayal not only of Ukrainians but of the principles that keep the free world safe and free.

Ukraine will fight on all fronts – militarily, politically, and diplomatically – until justice and security are restored. We will not allow exhaustion to replace our conviction, nor lies to undermine the truth. Our strength lies not only in our soldiers, but also in the clarity of our purpose: peace through victory, not through illusion.