Surkov’s replacement is being praised in Kyiv – Kozak has taken on the role of a “good policeman”
Deputy Head of the Russian Presidential Administration Dmitry Kozak, who is now responsible for policy in the Ukrainian direction, is a more constructive interlocutor than his predecessor, presidential aide Vladislav Surkov.
Assistant to the President of Ukraine Andrei Ermak said this on air on the Ukraine TV channel, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
According to Ermak, he communicates and meets with Kozak.
“On the issues that I continue to discuss, the continuation of agreeing on the list for the next exchanges, mutual release - this is Dmitry Kozak. I met with him,” Ermak said.
"How is he? Is it different from Surkov? You know him too?” – asked TV presenter Evgeny Kiselev.
“Yes, it’s different. It seems to me that he is more inclined to dialogue and on the issues on which I communicated with him, I can say that we had constructive communication, without which, probably, what happened would not have happened. Therefore, I have a fairly positive (attitude),” Ermak noted.
Earlier, political scientist Alexey Chesnakov, considered close to Surkov, said that The Russian leadership has two views on the prospects for the conflict in Donbass, one of which – exhausting Ukraine with demands to comply with the Minsk agreements – is advocated by presidential aide Vladislav Surkov, and the other scenario – the speedy return of Donbass to the control of Kyiv in exchange for the lifting of Western sanctions – is defended by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak.
Chesnakov also previously stated that Ermak, sabotaging the implementation of the Minsk agreements, often tried to “go around” Surkov due to his connections with Kozak, who is competing for influence in the Ukrainian direction.
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