MOSCOW — Steve Bannon’s departure as White House chief strategist was seen coming a mile away, but it is still sending shock waves of speculation over potential policy shifts by US President Donald Trump's administration. The move re-energized the ongoing debate on whether President Donald Trump is going to end up impeached, with observers on both sides arming themselves with new arguments.

Those who see impeachment in Trump’s future interpret the firing of the CEO of Trump’s presidential campaign as a sign of the president’s growing weakness. They expect him to crack under pressure and continue to give up on his people as they become too heavy a political burden to carry. Now that Trump’s guardian angel is gone, the president could be more vulnerable to potential impeachment proceedings.

The other side argues that Bannon’s departure actually empowers Trump: He will now be either more independent in his decision-making or rely on the qualified expertise of his generals. According to this logic, however, that would result in Trump’s gradual transformation into George W. Bush 2.0, with more neoconservatives and hawks around his Cabinet. Trump himself would become more inclined toward foreign military interventions, which Bannon firmly opposed.

This is where the Russian debate over Bannon’s departure evolves to span Russia’s concerns about whether a more proactive American policy can be expected in the Middle East.