MOSCOW: The Kremlin on Friday (Nov 7) dismissed speculation that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had fallen out of favour with Vladimir Putin after efforts to organise a summit between the Russian president and Donald Trump were put on ice last month.
Lavrov, 75, a veteran Soviet-era diplomat known for his robust negotiating style, was absent from a big Kremlin meeting this week that he would typically attend, and Putin chose someone else to attend a G20 summit in South Africa later this month, a role that Lavrov has filled in the past.
For two weeks in a row, the Foreign Ministry has also not disclosed Lavrov’s travel plans and speaking engagements for the following week.
The developments have fuelled speculation that Lavrov, who has served as foreign minister for more than two decades, may have fallen from Putin’s good graces due to the collapse of plans for the summit in Budapest.
Asked on Friday if Lavrov was in trouble with Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the idea.
“I will give you a brief answer: there is nothing true in these reports,” Peskov told reporters.
Asked to confirm that Lavrov would continue to work in his current role, Peskov added: “Absolutely. Lavrov is working as foreign minister, of course.”
Lavrov spoke by phone to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on October 20 to discuss the possible summit, days after it was announced by Trump following a phone call with Putin.
The next day, Trump said that he did not want to hold a meeting that would be “a waste of time”. He later said he had cancelled the summit because it “just didn’t feel right”.
