The Kremlin has firmly dismissed speculations surrounding the potential ousting of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Dmitry Peskov, a prominent spokesperson for President Vladimir Putin, emphasized during a press briefing that reports indicating Lavrov has fallen out of favor are “completely untrue.”
Lavrov maintains his position amidst swirling rumors
Despite various media reports suggesting that Lavrov has been sidelined, Peskov assured that the veteran diplomat continues to serve in his role. This comes after a report by The Moscow Times, an independent news outlet based in the Netherlands, which claimed that Lavrov had vanished from the public eye following the abrupt cancellation of a proposed summit in Budapest by the United States.
The situation escalated speculation on social media, particularly when Lavrov was absent from the Kremlin during a significant meeting where President Putin discussed the possible resumption of nuclear weapons testing. Sources from Kommersant, a business publication linked to the Kremlin, clarified that Lavrov’s absence was known ahead of time and agreed upon.
Key appearances and upcoming events
According to the Russian foreign ministry’s official website, the last public engagement for Lavrov was on October 28, where he participated in the Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security in Belarus. Notably, Lavrov will not represent Russia at this year’s G20 summit, a role he typically occupies. Instead, Maxim Oreshkin, the deputy head of Putin’s administration, is set to attend the summit in Johannesburg later this month.
Adding context to the situation, the Financial Times reported that the cancellation of the Budapest meeting regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine followed a conversation between Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This decision was influenced by Lavrov’s rigid stance on various issues.
Having served as Russia’s chief diplomat for 21 years, Lavrov has been a cornerstone of Putin’s foreign policy strategy and remains a pivotal figure in the international arena.