Czech Foreign Ministry warns of Putin’s negotiation 'trap'
Photo: Jan Lipavský, Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Czechia (Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)
Russia must be compelled to accept Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the President of a sovereign nation. This should be one of the preconditions for possible negotiations between the countries, the German news resource n-tv reports, citing Jan Lipavský, Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Czechia.
"We must compel Putin (Vladimir Putin, Russia's dictator, - ed.) to accept Zelenskyy for negotiations and as the President of a sovereign nation. This must be one of our conditions for negotiations. Putin, his Foreign Minister Lavrov (Sergey Lavrov, - ed.), and some propagandists say they do not want to negotiate with Ukraine. They talk to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz or the American president, but not to Ukrainians," Lipavský said.
The Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Czechia added that Russia wants the West to believe that the Ukrainian authorities are allegedly incapable of conducting negotiations, which is why it is important not to fall into this trap.
Possible negotiations between Ukraine and Russia
Earlier, Zelenskyy emphasized that Kyiv needs security guarantees before returning to the negotiating table. In particular, Zelenskyy claimed that if the 47th US President Donald Trump decided to compel the Russian dictator to peace, he would succeed.
Furthermore, after his inauguration, the Head of the White House addressed Putin, urging him to reach a peace agreement as soon as possible. Trump also threatened Russia with additional tariffs and sanctions.
