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9h ago

Kremlin Denies Rift With Lavrov as Absence and G20 Switch Fuel Speculation

A canceled Budapest summit followed by new U.S. sanctions set off questions about the veteran diplomat’s standing.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, second left, attends a US-Russia summit on Ukraine in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on Wednesday, at which Lavrov did not attend.
Sergey Lavrov has been the face of Russian diplomacy for over two decades and previously served as Russia’s ambassador to the UN.
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, attends a meeting with Indian Prime Minister on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin on September 1, 2025.

Overview

  • Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said reports of a fallout are untrue and confirmed that Sergey Lavrov remains foreign minister.
  • Lavrov was the only permanent Security Council member missing from Wednesday’s meeting where Vladimir Putin ordered work on possible nuclear‑test proposals, which Kommersant described as an agreed absence.
  • Putin signed a Nov. 4 decree naming deputy chief of staff Maxim Oreshkin to lead Russia’s delegation to the G20 in Johannesburg later this month, a role Lavrov often filled.
  • Multiple outlets reported that a tense Lavrov–Marco Rubio call preceded President Donald Trump shelving a planned Budapest summit, after which Washington sanctioned Rosneft and Lukoil.
  • Officials note Lavrov’s recent low public profile, with the Foreign Ministry listing his last public appearance in late October, while Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said he remains in his post.