Overview
- Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said reports of a reshuffle were false and affirmed that Serguéi Lavrov continues in his post.
- Lavrov was the only permanent member absent from Wednesday’s Security Council session where Vladimir Putin raised the prospect of large-scale nuclear tests, according to Kommersant.
- Putin signed a November 4 decree naming presidential aide Maxim Oreshkin to head Russia’s delegation to the G20 summit in Johannesburg later this month.
- The planned Budapest meeting between Putin and President Donald Trump was scrapped after a tense Lavrov call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with U.S. officials citing Russia’s unchanged Ukraine stance and imposing new sanctions.
- Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova acknowledged Lavrov’s absence and confirmed he remains in office, as domestic speculation about his standing continues to swirl.