Russia's Former 'Gray Cardinal' Says Ukraine Will Never Reclaim The Rebel East

Vladislav Surkov had supervised the Kremlin’s policy on Ukraine during a period that included the annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of war in the country’s east. Andrei Lyubimov / Moskva News Agency

RFE: In First Interview Since Departure, Russia's Former 'Gray Cardinal' Questions Existence Of Ukraine

Vladislav Surkov was once "the man" in the Kremlin -- the "gray cardinal" and ideologist who oversaw Ukraine policy during the now six-year war that has killed more than 13,000, displaced more than 1 million, and ruptured ties between Moscow and the West.

Since Ukraine’s president fled the country in February 2014, following months of street protests, Moscow has consistently suggested that the government that assumed power in Kyiv was illegitimate. Ukrainian sovereignty over separatist-controlled areas of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where war erupted in March 2014, was also in question.

Surkov was central to this thinking before his surprise departure from the Kremlin was officially announced on February 18.

In an interview published February 26, his first since leaving, he said the very idea of a Ukrainian state is open for debate.

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WNU Editor: Ukraine is a country where on one side Russian-Ukrainians are the majority in the eastern part of the country and who strongly feel that their culture and language are under threat from the Western part. And on the other side Ukrainian nationalists have the view that Russian-Ukrainians must acknowledge and conform to their view on what Ukraine is, and they should assimilate into Ukrainian society. Vladislav Surkov is acknowledging this divide, and he clearly does not have any hope that this conflict will ever be resolved. Long time readers of this blog know that I have a different point of view. For Ukraine to survive it must adopt a federal system (like Canada's), where minorities will feel welcomed and protected. Ukrainian President Zelenskiy ran on this platform last year, and (not surprising) won the Presidency with an overwhelming mandate to do just that. The fact that he has walked back many of his promises has demoralized/disappointed many (including myself), but we are still hopeful that a solution will be found. In the case of Vladislav Surkov, he is clearly someone who has given up.

More News On Vladislav Surkov's Views On Ukraine

Ex-Kremlin aide says Ukraine will never reclaim rebel east (AP)
Ex-Putin aide Surkov's parting shot: Ukraine will eventually break up or cling on within shrunken borders (RT)
‘I Created the System’: Kremlin’s Ousted ‘Grey Cardinal’ Surkov, in Quotes (Moscow Times)

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