Kremlin press secretary insists that Putin ally Kozak resigned

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has claimed that Dmitry Kozak, a close ally of Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, resigned as deputy head of the Putin administration by his own choice.

Source: Interfax, a Russian news outlet

Quote from Peskov: "I can confirm that Dmitry Kozak has submitted his resignation. At his own request."

Details: Earlier, Russian media, citing sources, reported that Kozak had "stepped down" from his position on 13-14 September and was considering various job offers in business.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has linked Kozak’s departure to differences of opinion with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin. In particular, Kozak had advocated for negotiations with Ukraine.

ISW also referred to a Russian political analyst who said that Kozak was the only member of Russia’s Security Council who opposed the full-scale invasion of Ukraine at their meeting on 21 February 2022.

Western and Russian sources pointed out that Kozak had lost influence in the Kremlin in recent months after urging Putin to end the hostilities in Ukraine and begin peace talks.

Background:

• In August, The New York Times reported, citing Kremlin insiders, that Dmitry Kozak had recently advised Putin to end the war in Ukraine and begin peace negotiations.
• In 2022, Reuters revealed that Kozak told Putin he had reached a provisional agreement with Ukraine on abandoning its NATO aspirations. However, the Russian leader rejected the proposal and went ahead with the full-scale invasion.

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