Analysts offered contrasting views as to whether Ivanov had been pushed out of the Kremlin, with some seeing his exit as a sign that Putin was nervous ahead of elections and others saying Ivanov, 63, had been looking to quit for some time.
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The Kremlin and Ivanov himself offered little explanation for why he was stepping down.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (L), then-Presidential Chief of Staff Sergei Ivanov (C) and Russian President Vladimir Putin walk after the annual state of the nation address at the Kremlin in Moscow on December 12, 2012.
Mr Putin told a Russian TV station on Friday that Mr Ivanov asked to leave the post, and recommended that Mr Vaino should replace him. His hawkish views have been ascendant during the ensuing conflict in Ukraine and standoff with the West. He also played a major role in lobbying for Russia’s intervention into Syria.
“To my surprise, I found out that I’m a record-breaker: I have worked in this office for four years and eight months”, Ivanov said, reminding that he was the 11th Kremlin chief of staff. Unlike Putin, whose KGB career reached its peak with a stint in East Germany in the late 1980s, Ivanov served several stints in Western countries – coveted postings which were considered much more prestigious.
Mr Ivanov kept his seat on the Security Council, Russia’s main security body, which discusses war and peace and includes the president, chairmen of parliament and the chiefs of the security services. A fluent English speaker, Mr Ivanov served as a go-between with the administration of George W. Bush, bonding with Condoleezza Rice, Mr Bush’s National Security Adviser and later Secretary of State, over a shared passion for ballet. Please see our terms of service for more information. The new head of the presidential administration, Anton Vaino, also fits that profile. This cave-in to Mr. Putin would be so sweeping that some senior Obama administration officials have not concealed their doubts: In an interview with The Post’s David Ignatius, Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. questioned whether Russian Federation could be expected to deliver on any promise it made in Syria.
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“The report left Putin with radioactive fingermarks glowing all over his collar and May [then home secretary] with the giant headache of trying to sound tough with the Russian president, when everyone knows the British government is terrified of upsetting him”, The Guardian’s John Crace wrote at the time. Putin is widely expected to run again for a new term.
