“The Gromiko method”. How Putin is using 'KGB-era neurolinguistic techniques' to influence Trump

Russian special services allegedly use psychological and neurolinguistic techniques developed since the KGB era to influence Western political leaders, claims Mikola Malomuj, a Ukrainian army general and former head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service.

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump/PHOTO: AFP

In an interview with Kyiv24, Malomuj states that these methods remain effective today because they are not based on isolated interventions, but on shaping the behavior of key people in the long term.

Modeling behavior and identifying vulnerabilities

According to the former official, Russian President Vladimir Putin's team would deliberately apply such techniques, including in interactions with former US President Donald Trump.

Malomuj describes a multi-step process that would include:

– detailed analysis of the psychological profile of the person concerned;

– studying the biography, behavior style and possible fears or vulnerabilities;

– exerting a calculated pressure on these “sensitive points”, with the aim of influencing the decision-making process.

“It's not just about negotiating. It's about anticipating reactions and shaping behavior“, says Malomuj.

Washington's shift in position cited as an example

As an illustration of the effectiveness of these methods, the former head of Ukrainian intelligence refers to a sudden change in the position of Donald Trump towards Ukraine.

According to him, after a meeting of the UN General Assembly, Trump would have publicly expressed his support for Kiev and promised to deliver all types of weapons, including Tomahawk missiles. Just a few days after a phone conversation with Vladimir Putin, his position would have become much more reserved.

“It is a concrete example of how the influence of the special services works,” says Malomuj. His claims have not been independently confirmed.

Russia uses the “Gromîko Method” to buy time in the war

Russia is now applying what former Ukrainian army chief Valerii Zalujnyi calls “psychological warfare” inspired by the methods of Andrei Gromyko, a Soviet diplomat during the Cold War. Gromîko, who led Soviet diplomacy for over 40 years, used this tactic whenever the Soviet Union tried to extract maximum concessions from the West.

Known as the “Gromîko Method” or “exhaustion tactic”, this approach earned Gromîko the nickname “Mr. No” among Western diplomats, Euromaidan Press writes.

How the method worked

According to Zalujnîi, Gromîko prolonged the negotiations, exhausted the patience of the interlocutors and dominated the conversation until they gave in. Every pause was calculated, every intervention a test of endurance. The result: confusion, fatigue, and opponents' willingness to accept quick, even imperfect, solutions just to end the discussion.

The same method serves the Kremlin's goals today: protracted “cease to war” negotiations create the illusion that Russia is seeking peace, while Moscow buys time to kill civilians and re-equip for the next phase of aggression.

Lavrov and the Soviet art of negotiation

The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, but also Vladimir Putin master this tactic. His arsenal includes interminable monologues, selective quotes and digressions designed to confuse and exhaust interlocutors. The Kremlin is also sending emissaries with no real mandate to compromise to prolong talks while power remains concentrated in the hands of a single leader.

The four stages of the “Gromîko scheme”

Meetings with Russian officials on ending the war typically follow a four-step pattern:

-Flooding the negotiation table with lies and irrelevant details, forcing others to waste hours correcting false information;

– Invoking moral relativism — accusing opponents of colonialism, hypocrisy or double standards, in order to deflect responsibility;

-Redefining aggression as reaction, occupation as defense and genocide as self-defense, a cynical inversion of values ​​designed to paralyze democratic societies;

-Testing the opponent, interpreting any gesture of goodwill as a sign of weakness.

For the Kremlin, the only language it understands is consistency backed by force.

Diplomats trained as soldiers

Zalujnii argues that Ukraine must train its negotiators with the same rigor as it trains its soldiers. History provides clear examples: peace in Vietnam in 1973 was achieved only after five years and 68 meetings between Henry Kissinger and his North Vietnamese counterpart. Diplomacy succeeds only when supported by military balance.

The stake is not only Ukraine, but the security of Europe

The former army chief warns that while some in the West encourage negotiations with the aggressor, Ukraine will not allow Soviet methods to destroy its state. Every mistake in negotiations can be irreversible.

“At stake is not just the survival of Ukraine, but the security of Europe. Anything > that rewards Russian aggression is an invitation to new wars. Peace on Russia's terms is not peace — it is capitulation.” says Zalujnîi.

A just deal must restore Ukraine's territorial integrity, ensure accountability for war crimes and guarantee that no aggressor will ever again threaten Europe.

“Anything else would betray not only the Ukrainian people, but also the principles that keep the world free. Our strength lies not only in our soldiers, but also in the clarity of our purpose: peace through victory, not illusion.”he adds.