KYIV – When President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired the controversial head of his Presidential Office, Andriy Bohdan, and replaced him with Andriy Yermak, a non-staff close adviser who has become increasingly influential in recent months, the move suggested a change in style and approach in the domestic sphere. But the appointment also reaffirmed Mr. Yermak’s position as the Ukrainian president’s chief negotiator with the Kremlin and his stewardship over Ukraine’s foreign policy in general.
On the same day as the personnel change in Kyiv, Moscow confirmed that Dmitry Kozak had replaced Vladyslav Surkov as President Vladimir Putin’s point man for Ukraine. Mr. Yermak has dealt with both Messrs. Surkov and Kozak and told Ukrainian TV on February 10 that, in his view, this was a change for the better.