Putin Got Betrayed by Person He Trusted Most. Close Aide Demands to End War Now - The Russian Dude

Putin’s trusted aide Dmitry Kozak, once the Kremlin’s go-to fixer for sensitive missions from the Sochi Olympics to Crimea’s annexation, has broken ranks by calling the Ukraine war a disaster and pushing for peace talks. Kozak, a longtime insider with deep ties to Putin since the 1990s, warned early on that a full-scale invasion would backfire and even presented a peace deal days after the war began—only for Putin to reject it. Now sidelined but not entirely cut off, Kozak continues to press for reform and oversight of Russia’s powerful security agencies, challenging the regime from within. His dissent comes as Putin prepares for a high-stakes Alaska summit with Donald Trump, a meeting heavy on propaganda value but light on real negotiation, with Ukraine excluded from the talks.

President Zelenskyy has warned that Putin’s peace proposals are traps designed to secure strategic land in Donbas for future offensives, insisting on security guarantees before any territorial discussions. Meanwhile, fierce fighting near Dobropillya sees Russian forces making dangerous advances, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. The battlefield reality threatens to overshadow diplomatic theater, as Putin seeks legitimacy, Trump seeks political wins, and Zelenskyy fights to keep Ukraine’s fate from being decided without Ukraine in the room.