Putin's close associate suggested ending war and starting negotiations – NYT

Kremlin Deputy Chief of Staff Dmitry Kozak, one of vladimir putin's closest associates, recently called on the russian leader to stop fighting in Ukraine and start peace talks. The New York Times reports this, citing sources close to the kremlin.

According to insiders, Kozak presented putin with a plan to end the war and talked with him about the need for internal reforms — in particular, transferring control over the government's security forces and creating an independent judiciary.

The publication notes that Kozak disappointed putin by directly expressing the opinion that the invasion of Ukraine was a mistake. Because of this, another deputy chief of staff, Sergei Kiriyenko, took over a significant part of his powers.

According to sources, Kozak is the only senior official in putin's entourage who openly (though not publicly) expresses disagreement with the war. At the same time, he retained some access to the Russian president, as putin traditionally keeps long-time aides close.

In addition, Kozak unofficially acted as a mediator in contacts with Western representatives. One of the Western interlocutors said that he had met with him several times since 2022 and that Kozak always emphasized his disagreement with the invasion: "Give me arguments," he asked, looking for ways to influence putin and change his position.

As a reminder, in 2022, Reuters reported that Kozak had persuaded putin to reach a preliminary agreement with Ukraine on refusing to join NATO, but the russian president rejected this proposal and gave the order for a full-scale invasion.

Recall that Trump and putin will hold a bilateral meeting in Alaska next Friday, August 15.