Overview
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sergei Lawrow remains foreign minister and rejected claims he has lost favor with President Vladimir Putin.
- Lawrow did not attend the Nov. 5 meeting of Russia’s Security Council, with Kommersant citing an unnamed government source who called the absence pre‑agreed.
- Maxim Oreshkin was named to lead Russia’s delegation to the upcoming G20 gathering, replacing Lawrow in a role he has commonly filled when Putin skipped summits.
- Multiple outlets report that Lawrow has had no public engagements for several days, which has intensified commentary about his current influence.
- Media accounts link a contentious Lawrow call with U.S. official Marco Rubio to the cancellation of a planned Trump–Putin meeting in Budapest, a connection the Kremlin has not confirmed.