The 'Gray Cardinal' Has Left The Kremlin. What Does That Mean For The War In Ukraine?
By Robert Coalson
After seven years overseeing the Kremlin's policy regarding Ukraine – a period which included Russia's seizure of Ukraine's Crimea region and the unleashing of a conflict in parts of eastern Ukraine that has left more than 13,000 people dead -- Vladislav Surkov has been dismissed.
His departure has sparked speculation that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be ready for compromises with Kyiv and the West, and bodes well for an end to the war in the Donbas. But some analysts are skeptical, suggesting that the change may be more a shift in symbolism and style than in substance.
Following weeks of rumors that Surkov was leaving, the Kremlin on February 18 issued a terse decree making it official.
It followed one week after an announcement that Dmitry Kozak, a deputy head of Putin’s administration, had been tapped as the Kremlin's point man on Ukraine.
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A timely reminder: