The rumors intensified after the planned summit meeting between President Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump was canceled last month. Some analysts speculated that the 75-year-old veteran diplomat Lavrov might have fallen out of Putin’s inner circle, particularly after the failure of the proposed Budapest summit.
Adding to the speculation, Lavrov was notably absent from a key Kremlin meeting where his presence is typically routine. Furthermore, President Putin has reportedly assigned another official to represent Russia at the upcoming G20 Summit in South Africa — a role Lavrov has traditionally filled.
For the past two weeks, Russia’s Foreign Ministry has also withheld information about Lavrov’s travel and public engagements, further fueling talk of a possible fallout.
The controversy stems from the planned Budapest summit, which was discussed during a phone conversation between Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on October 20. Following that call, President Trump had initially announced the summit but later canceled it, calling it “a waste of time” and saying it “just didn’t feel right.”
Trump has been seeking to improve relations with Russia, including a proposed summit with Putin in Alaska later this year. However, tensions have persisted over the Ukraine conflict, with Russia reportedly demanding additional territorial concessions, which the U.S. has rejected.
According to media reports, Washington decided to cancel the Budapest summit after the Russian Foreign Ministry showed no willingness to soften its stance on Ukraine. A British newspaper claimed Lavrov appeared “tired and uninterested” in advancing dialogue with the U.S., despite Putin’s efforts.
Responding to the reports, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova dismissed the article as “provocative and misleading speculation” aimed at discrediting Russia, calling it part of the ongoing “hybrid war” against the country.
Zakharova reiterated that President Putin remains committed to restoring dialogue between Russia and the United States — excluding the Ukraine issue — emphasizing that such cooperation serves both national interests and global security, given the two nations’ vast nuclear arsenals.
0 Comments