"The War Won't End with Agreements": An Interview with Lieutenant General Omelchenko on the Pitfalls of Negotiations

Behind the talk of peace and diplomatic agreements may lie decisions that will shape Ukraine’s future for years to come. The main question is whether a just peace with Russia is possible and what concessions to the Kremlin might lead to.

Lieutenant General of the SBU and Hero of Ukraine Hryhoriy Omelchenko explained in an exclusive interview with Channel 24 why he considers negotiations with Russia dangerous and how he assesses Donald Trump’s role in the search for a peaceful settlement. He also spoke out about the threats posed by the so-called peace plans and stated that he sees long-term global security as tied to the collapse of Russia.

What’s wrong with the “peace plans” for Ukraine?

Mr. Hryhoriy, can Ukraine’s contacts with the U.S. and the new proposals for de-escalation truly bring an end to the war, or do they merely create the risk of concessions to Russia?

It all looks like a form of capitulation. How many times have they flown to Moscow, then popped over to Kyiv? There was a meeting, there were statements by Witkoff and Kushner – Trump’s son-in-law – who, when it comes to diplomatic international politics, are as clueless as sheep in quantum physics.

They have only one thing on their minds: making money. And big money at that. Sorry, but they’re about as much negotiators as I am the Pope.

Recent opinion polls conducted in Ukraine show that 83–86% of Ukrainians believe that Putin’s goal is the destruction of Ukrainian statehood, the destruction of Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty.

About 80% of Ukrainians believe that Putin’s goal is the genocide of the Ukrainian nation – that is, the physical destruction of the patriotic, nationally conscious segment of Ukraine’s population. And as sociologists indicate, this currently accounts for roughly 80–85% of Ukraine’s population.

You know what Putin’s position is. Please tell me, what kind of negotiations could there possibly be on his part? Absolutely none. I recall statements by Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, and later by Kirill Budanov. That was in July.

There were two statements from them. Marco Rubio said that Russia is trying to achieve through diplomatic means what it cannot achieve militarily. And Kirill Budanov said: they want the “three plus two” formula.

What does “three plus two” mean? It means Ukraine must withdraw from the Donetsk region. This is the so-called “spirit of Anchorage.” Then, perhaps for a day, a second, or half a second, a pause in active hostilities, followed by the concentration of all their forces in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions within the administrative borders of those regions.

This can be summed up in one sentence: forcing Ukraine to capitulate.

That is, depending on the position from which we start. Some believe it’s possible to reach an agreement with Putin. That’s a utopian fantasy. Remember how they already tried to negotiate in 2019.

Others believe that we can make concessions to Putin. But if we make a false assumption, what will the conclusion be? A false one. That’s unequivocal; it’s correct.

Back in 2022, when the full-scale invasion began, I repeatedly warned about this in open letters to Volodymyr Zelenskyy. You can visit the websites of “Ukrainian Reporter,” Censor.NET, and “Young Ukraine.”

In open letters to Zelenskyy, when he had just been elected president of Ukraine, I wrote about the inevitability of a full-scale invasion. Even back in 2019, in an open letter to him titled “And This Is No Joke,” published on May 28 – the eighth day after the 2019 inauguration – I told Volodymyr Zelenskyy where the attack would come from and that there would be an occupation of the southeastern regions, and even a possible capture of Kyiv.

And Putin’s main motivation would be Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s incompetence in the military, defense, and international spheres. You can read about it; it’s all history.

So, even back then, I said that Putin’s ultimate goal was to seize all of Ukraine, establish his own pro-Moscow regime – or something akin to Belarus – and perhaps even make it a constituent entity of Russia; in other words, to destroy Ukrainian independence, sovereignty as such, and Ukrainian statehood.

And patriotic Ukrainians from civil society organizations, members of parliament, members of the “Svoboda” party, and the Union of Officers of Ukraine – they were on blacklists marked for elimination. This was discovered on the tablets of FSB officers who were detained or killed during the first days of the full-scale invasion.

In other words, I realized for myself: war with Russia is inevitable. Putin’s goal is the destruction of Ukrainian statehood and Ukrainian independence, as well as the physical extermination – genocide – of the patriotic segment of the Ukrainian population.

To turn Ukraine into a satellite state or something like Belarus, or some kind of province, region, or constituent entity of Russia. To regroup his troops on the border with Poland and make demands on the countries of the European Union and NATO member states.

And now, pay very close attention. The West allegedly violated agreements with Russia – which in fact never existed – when the former Warsaw Pact countries – Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia, and two other countries that were members of the Warsaw Pact – were admitted into NATO, along with the Baltic states.

And there was a demand that, according to Putin’s plans, these countries must leave NATO. Please tell me: if these goals have been clearly stated by Putin himself, what kind of agreements could there possibly be regarding them? What kind of negotiations could there be?

That would be deceiving ourselves, deceiving you, and deceiving our viewers. In other words, it’s about putting rose-colored glasses on people, presenting some rosy fantasies and desires. But in reality, this is a tremendous evil; it is a betrayal of Ukraine’s national interests and a betrayal of its people and its nation. That is why we simply must tell people the truth.

The full conversation with Hryhoriy Omelchenko: watch the video

Zelenskyy, “What’s the Difference?” and a Shift During the Great War

In your opinion, how does Oleksiy Goncharenko’s position on peace negotiations differ from Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s position in 2019?

And now, allow me, as a teacher using the five-point Soviet-era grading system, to give you a B+. But for that first sentence – “nothing” – I’ll give you an A+.

Both are former members of Yanukovych’s Party of Regions. Both are Little Russians. Both are proponents of the “Russian World.”

Let’s recall that in early October 2026, People’s Deputy Oleksiy Goncharenko suggestedsought ways to end the war through phased agreements with Russia. In particular, he called for agreements to cease attacks on infrastructure, ensure security in the Black Sea, and gradually limit hostilities in the Donbas. Goncharenko also stated that the parties must make mutual concessions, since, in his opinion, neither side can win the war.

Don’t you think that this “what’s the difference” – whether forced or not – has changed Zelenskyy during this time of full-scale invasion?

You know, our profession leaves its mark on each of us and shapes our character. Mine is no exception. I don’t believe in words. I believe in actions – actions that are evaluated after careful scrutiny. Why were they taken? What was the reason? What was the motivation? And only then can I say that it’s sincerity.

There’s no one who doesn’t change their beliefs. That’s the truth. Only madmen don’t change their beliefs. And so, I, too, have seen my views shift in one way or another.

A nation that resists an external aggressor is invincible and unbeatable. A nation that ceases to resist ceases to exist.

The greatest threat to a nation’s survival is an internal threat. When people from within throw fuel on the fire – the very fire that the external enemy is stoking. And so, of course, my convictions, views, and so on have changed.

Now, regarding Zelenskyy. Remember, before the full-scale invasion – and this was during the hybrid war that had been going on since late February 2014, the annexation of Crimea, the occupation of part of the Donbas, and the so-called ATO – not once did he call Putin an aggressor.

Other politicians, including Senator John McCain, called Putin an aggressor, a murderer, a terrorist, and a war criminal.

In May, on my birthday, I published an analytical article in the newspaper *Ukraina Moloda*. It was the first study in which I proposed that, to prevent a major war on the European continent, Putin should be physically eliminated, just as Osama bin Laden was.

The article outlined the legal justifications based on international law and national legislation, as well as an analysis of the crimes he had committed. Later, a more expanded version of the article was published in 2018 and reprinted on a global scale with a massive print run in 2020.

I sent all these publications to all European institutions and to the United Nations. At the United Nations, I served as part of the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. I spoke before various committees. I have many friends and acquaintances in NATO, in the Parliamentary Assembly where I worked, in the European Parliament, and in the European Commission. You know, privately they told me I was right. But they were afraid to publicly support my position.

And it wasn’t until the full-scale invasion began that I want to thank the U.S. senator who supported my idea and spoke out publicly, saying that the way out of the war – to end the war – is to destroy Vladimir Putin.

Russia began to target him, harass him, and threaten to bring criminal charges against him; they imposed sanctions on him and banned him from entering Russia. Some time passed, and he supported me in March of 2022. And when the full-scale invasion began, on the very next day I addressed Russian officers in Russian: “Save the world – kill Putin.”

Now, let me explain why I said that. What statements have been made following these horrific, barbaric crimes in Bucha, Irpin, and Gostomel in the occupied territories? How has Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s own assessment changed, and how has he begun to refer to Putin?

It’s even gotten to the point where he called him names that sound like soccer fan chants. And he called him that when children died at “Okhmatdyt.” This is an emotional outburst that occurs when a person begins to realize that, for a long time, they were deceived like a little boy or led around like a kitten.

There was disarmament, demining, cuts to the missile program, and so on. Ukraine was being prepared for surrender. Then came the full-scale invasion. The leadership of the Foreign Intelligence Service fled. Security Service Chief Bakanov, a friend of Zelenskyy’s, also fled Kyiv. Other leaders fled. He stayed.

What was his motivation? Even though he was offered a plane to fly to the United Kingdom or the United States. In other words, an inner spiritual struggle was taking place within him, where he reached a certain point and began to take specific actions.

But I think the biggest factor was that massive – simply incredible – surge of volunteers coming forward to fight for Ukraine. Think back to what happened in 2022. You probably saw for yourselves where those conscripts were gathered at the military registration and enlistment offices. Tens of thousands of people were standing there. Weapons were being handed out right from the trucks.

It was such a spiritual breakthrough that simply no one could ignore it. To this day, neither American nor European intelligence research institutions can comprehend what took place – something, as they say, beyond civilization, otherworldly, of some heavenly dimension. A spirit of protest arose, a spirit of fighting for one’s country.

In 2016, I first wrote that there would be a great war. I repeated this later. And I first wrote that the mission of the Ukrainian nation – as determined by higher powers – is to be the only nation capable of defending civilization and saving the world from a nuclear conflagration.

When did Russia begin preparing for a major war?

Mr. Hryhoriy, was Russia really preparing for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine long before 2019, and how far-reaching were the Kremlin’s plans?

The answer is correct. But there are centuries-old reasons, circumstances, motivations, and so on.

Historians and scholars have calculated that over the past five and a half thousand years of human history, there have been wars for only about three hundred years in total. The rest of the time has been filled with wars of every kind. Over this entire period, there have been more than fourteen thousand wars: world wars, continental wars, local conflicts, interfaith wars, and interethnic wars.

The Russian Empire – if you count from the founding of the Moscow Tsardom, when Peter I became Tsar of Moscow – seemed insufficient to him, so he appropriated the name of our Rus’ and renamed everything the Russian Empire, and he became emperor.

The Russians waged about four hundred wars of conquest, expanding their territory through the occupation, subjugation, and colonization of these peoples. During the time of the Russian Empire – just think about it – about one hundred languages and ethnic groups that had been conquered were destroyed. About a hundred languages, ethnic groups, customs, cultures, and religions.

What kind of war do you think this is – the war waged by the Russian Empire, by Moscow, against Ukraine? The twenty-fourth. The only people the Russian Empire wants to swallow whole, digest, and turn into a hodgepodge of the so-called “Russian World” is the Ukrainian nation. Today, the Ukrainian nation is facing its twenty-fourth war.

You’re right – this war has been in the making for years. The session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is underway, from late September to early October, and we’re discussing issues related to the anniversary of the occupation of Georgia and the creation of the quasi-states of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

I spoke at the session of the Parliamentary Assembly. And it so happened that a major international conference was taking place in Strasbourg. Representatives from the UN, NATO, the OSCE, the European Parliament’s Parliamentary Assembly, and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly were in attendance. I spoke on behalf of the Parliamentary Assembly.

I have repeatedly stated this in my interviews, and I am now appealing – practically like a voice crying out in the wilderness – to ask everyone to pay attention, and I warn you (this was in 2009) that within five years, Russia will occupy and annex Crimea, just as it did with South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Let’s establish an international commission for the early warning of military conflicts and prevent a major war from breaking out in Europe. I said this, and later I repeated it at a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Prior to that, in April 2008, during the spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly, I spoke at a session of two committees – the Legal and Political Committees, and warned that within four to six months, Russia would launch a military aggression against Georgia, occupy the two regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, where it would establish quasi-states and station its military bases.

When not only a member of the Ukrainian Parliament but also a serving general of the Ukrainian security service makes such a statement from the rostrum of the Parliamentary Assembly, the immediate question is: “General, where did you get this information – from which intelligence source?” I told them: “If this were operational or intelligence-based information, I wouldn’t be discussing it here – I’d be discussing it elsewhere. This is a comprehensive, in-depth historical analysis of what is happening, and you will see.”

And I proposed establishing a commission on the early warning of military conflicts. Some reacted to my statement with humor, others with sarcasm. Of course, the commission was never established.

I returned to Kyiv and faced a barrage of criticism for predicting that there would be a war in Georgia. And I received even more criticism and various political labels claiming that there would be a war, an invasion, and the annexation of Crimea. From the Party of Regions and the Communists – that’s understandable. But then from my own people: “What war? We have a major treaty between us; we are brotherly nations.”

So, you are absolutely right when you say, “This war has been in the making for more than a year.” I first wrote about this major war that was being prepared in 2016, and I repeated this in other publications.

And literally two weeks before the full-scale invasion, I wrote a major analytical article published on the “Ukrainian Reporter” website: “Psychological Warfare – A Harbinger of World War III.”

And I’ll just say this to you: any military provocation, any military conflict, any episode or instance of hybrid warfare, or a full-scale invasion – what always precedes it? Information warfare.

To gain support for the aggression – and here I mean Putin – and to sway the domestic population, to prepare the world and simultaneously put pressure on the country they want to attack. And this was so obvious. It begins in November, December of the twenty-first year, January, and early February of the twenty-second year.

An unprecedented event. CIA Director Burns arrives in Kyiv on January 11th or 12th. In a scene that should never be shown, he collapses into a chair in front of President Zelenskyy and the heads of the Ukrainian intelligence services and reveals where the strikes will be directed. This has not been previously published. The CIA director himself confirms this.

I’ll tell you one thing: from August 21 to December 21 of that year, Zelenskyy had forty-five or forty-seven intelligence reports on his desk, about twenty of which were from our Ukrainian intelligence agencies regarding preparations for a full-scale invasion. And what happened, happened.

The Likelihood of an Attack on NATO and Russia’s Future

Mr. Grigory, do you see any signs of Russia’s information campaign in preparation for a possible escalation against the Baltic states and NATO’s eastern flank? And is the U.S. ready to intervene and defend its allies in the event of Russian aggression?

I’ve discussed and debated this many times with my colleagues, NATO generals – two of whom are now members of the European Parliament and have retired from the Baltic states. We’ve discussed these issues regarding an invasion.

When I hear the word “escalation” a hundred times a day – or hear that someone is going to escalate – it makes me smile. What is escalation? An increase in some kind of tension, an increase in the threat of using some other weapon. It’s all just empty rhetoric in diplomacy and among political leaders.

Things are simple. There’s the leader of a European country, the wild one from Moscow, the Chinese leader, those fanatics, the ayatollahs in Iran, that clinically North Korean Kim Jong-un, and the king of New York and all of Manhattan, Donnie Trump.

I will send two open letters to Doni Trump. I am not personally acquainted with him, but as a former head of the military counterintelligence department since 2018, I have begun to study him in depth from a distance. When I first published my research in Ukraine, it documented – with supporting evidence – how he was recruited by the State Security Committee and under what circumstances.

There is a video on Serhiy Mamaev’s YouTube channel, “Special Projects.” Later, I was interviewed by “Pryamyy.” In total, more than three and a half million people have viewed these investigative videos on my YouTube channel. I gave interviews to foreign journalists and bloggers on this topic.

The analysis is titled: “Will Americans Elect Their Own Fascist Hitler?” In it, I explained why Trump should not be elected and what he would do if he were elected President of the United States of America.

I’m no prophet, clairvoyant, or fortune-teller. Everything was right there on the surface. Just analyze it, and you’ll get the picture.

And when just one year of Trump’s term had passed, I described who he is and compared him to Joe Biden, whom I know personally. And what he’ll do: He’ll dismantle the European Union. Whose agenda does that align with? Putin’s. To dismantle NATO.

Many of my friends – officers from our office at the Security Service of Ukraine – read these materials and asked, “Do you have some kind of device that lets you see into the future?” “No,” I said, “my dear friends, it’s all right there on the surface.”

Trump, his administration, and his inner circle – once allies of the United States under Biden – have become accomplices to Putin’s war crimes against the civilian population. Trump has the blood of Ukrainian civilians, including children, on his hands.

Trump becomes president, and this is his first address at a session of the UN General Assembly. A new delegation, new representatives.

The UN General Assembly adopts three resolutions: two from the General Assembly and one from the Security Council – and the Security Council resolution is binding. And for the first time, Russia is not identified as the aggressor, while Ukraine is identified as the victim. Can you imagine? And Trump is the one doing this.

Next. Under Biden, a powerful commission of lawyers was formed, which is part of the International Commission investigating Putin’s war crimes on Ukrainian territory and those of the top military and political leadership. What does Trump do? He signs an executive order and withdraws the U.S. commission from the International Commission investigating Russia’s crimes against Ukraine.

In other words, he’s taking steps that show Trump is saving Putin, putting him back on the international stage.

But pay attention to one thing. There’s a meeting of some international forum where Trump is participating. They don’t know how to please him. And what is Putin doing at this very moment? On this very day, while these forums are taking place, he is launching massive strikes against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure.

And if it happened just once, you could say it was a coincidence. But when it’s on such a massive scale, it’s being done by agreement or with Trump’s consent.

Has there been even one instance where Trump condemned the mass killing of civilians and children in Ukraine by bombings and missile strikes? No, not a single one.

I wrote openly in a letter to Trump. His spiritual mentor, a priest, harshly condemns Putin for these killings of civilians. So I’ve already written to Trump: “Go see your spiritual mentor – let him at least hear your confession. After all, you have children and grandchildren. Think about it. You’re almost eighty years old.”

I know what international military conflicts are, and what peacekeeping missions are. War ends in victory for one side and defeat for the other.

War does not end through diplomacy. War ends by force of arms. Consider the wars that have taken place: World War I, World War II, the Soviet-Finnish War, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, and so on. Remember: a war ends in victory or defeat.

As long as Russia exists in its current form – its imperial form – and as long as there is Putin, Patrushev, and others, the bloodthirsty nature of Russia will not be destroyed.

There is only one solution: the collapse of the Russian Moscow Empire, and the emergence of national states from its ruins. This is the only path that will destroy the epicenter of the Kremlin plague, the epicenter of global evil, from which all these wars and acts of aggression originate.

Rubio’s statements were bold at first, but now he can’t say anything against Trump. His parents are immigrants; he

When the question is whether the Ukrainian nation will be or not, when the question is whether to stand firm or lose, the world must be black or white, good or evil.

Remember, there is no middle ground. Anyone who claims to take a neutral stance is, in fact, on the side of evil. There is either good or evil. Donald Trump cannot play the role of a mediator just to win the Nobel Prize. He is a direct accomplice to Russia’s war crimes against Ukraine.

The moral and psychological situation right now is extremely dire. There are massive daily strikes. Attack on Pryluky – dozens of people have been killed. And it’s no coincidence that this happened on October 7, when the devil, the Antichrist Putin, hatched from a serpent’s egg. He needed to drink children’s blood, because he is truly a Satanist, the Antichrist, the devil. He must be physically destroyed.

But that’s not what I want to talk about right now. Ukrainians, we’re going through a very difficult time right now, both morally and psychologically. Some of you are having nervous breakdowns, feeling numb, losing hope, or becoming indifferent. I understand you, but understand this: you can only help one another – and only yourselves.

For some, it’s a kind word; for others, bringing water or bread; for others still, sharing an apartment or a house – if theirs has been bombed – so they have a place to stay for the night, and so on. Ukrainians, there is no other way out. We must hold firm and help one another.

And remember one more thing: the only “God” that exists today on planet Earth for Ukrainians is the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Let’s trust them and rally around them. Let’s help however we can, and let each of us hold our own section of the front, our own line of battle.

I want the world to finally realize this, turn its attention to the Ukrainian people, and provide us with the necessary weapons. We will save European NATO, the European Union, and all of Europe. Give us the necessary weapons.

So let’s thank our defenders, both men and women. Glory to the Armed Forces! Glory to the Ukrainian nation! Death to internal and external enemies! And let’s remember: Ukraine is united, and above all – Mother Ukraine.

This interview has been condensed, corrected, and edited for better audience understanding.