The Czech Foreign Ministry warns of Putin's negotiation "trap": what it's all about.

The Russian Federation (RF) must be compelled to recognize Volodymyr Zelensky as the president of a sovereign nation. This should be one of the conditions for potential negotiations between the countries.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing the head of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jan Lipavsky, as quoted by n-tv.

"We must force Putin (Vladimir Putin, the dictator of Russia – ed.) to accept Zelensky for negotiations and as the president of a sovereign nation. This should be one of our conditions for negotiations. Putin, his foreign minister Lavrov (Sergey Lavrov – ed.) and some propagandists claim that they do not want to negotiate with Ukraine. They talk to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz or the American president, but not with Ukrainians," the minister stated.

Lipavsky added that Russia wants the West to believe that the Ukrainian authorities are supposedly incapable of negotiating, which is why it is crucial not to fall into this trap.

Possible Negotiations Between Ukraine and Russia

Earlier, Zelensky noted that Kyiv needs security guarantees before returning to the negotiating table, specifically stating that if the 47th president of the United States (USA), Donald Trump, wishes to force the Russian dictator to peace – he will succeed.

Additionally, it is worth mentioning that after the inauguration, the head of the White House addressed Putin, urging him to reach an agreement to end the war soon. He also threatened Russia with additional tariffs and sanctions.