Key points: Sergey Lavrov’s absence from a recent Security Council meeting — where President Putin raised the possibility of full-scale nuclear testing — sparked media and analyst speculation about his status. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova both denied any change to Lavrov’s position. The appointment of Maxim Oreshkin to head Russia’s G20 delegation added to the conjecture. The episode underscores how small signals in Moscow can trigger broader questions about loyalty and continuity under Putin.
Lavrov’s Absence Stirs Kremlin Speculation — Officials Insist No Shake-Up
Key points: Sergey Lavrov’s absence from a recent Security Council meeting — where President Putin raised the possibility of full-scale nuclear testing — sparked media and analyst speculation about his status. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova both denied any change to Lavrov’s position. The appointment of Maxim Oreshkin to head Russia’s G20 delegation added to the conjecture. The episode underscores how small signals in Moscow can trigger broader questions about loyalty and continuity under Putin.
19:09, 07.11.2025Politics
Top Russian Diplomat’s No-Show Prompts Questions, But Kremlin Plays Down Any Rift
Russia’s long-serving foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, remains in office — yet his notable absence from a recent Russian Security Council meeting has reignited speculation about his standing inside the Kremlin.
“There is no truth to these reports whatsoever,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding: “Lavrov continues to serve as foreign minister, of course.”
The attention was heightened after the business daily Kommersant, citing “informed sources,” reported that the veteran diplomat was "absent by agreement" from Wednesday’s high-level session, during which President Vladimir Putin reportedly raised the prospect of full-scale nuclear testing. Observers noted that Lavrov was the only permanent member of the Security Council not present that day.
Further fueling speculation, President Putin on November 4 signed a decree appointing Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin to lead Russia’s delegation to this month’s G20 summit in Johannesburg — a role many would expect the foreign minister to fill.
Some commentators linked the episode to the collapse of plans for an in-person summit in Budapest between Putin and U.S. officials. Lavrov had been a central figure in arranging the meeting, which was shelved after contact between Russian and U.S. interlocutors; U.S. officials said Moscow had not budged from its maximalist position on Ukraine, and Washington subsequently announced fresh sanctions.
When asked directly whether Lavrov remained in his post, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova confirmed that he was still foreign minister and downplayed his absence from the Security Council session as a non-event.
Why this matters
Lavrov, 75, has been the public face of Russian diplomacy for more than two decades, previously serving as Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations. He has stood by President Putin through a series of major foreign-policy confrontations — including the 2008 Russo-Georgian war, the 2014 annexation of Crimea and Moscow’s 2015 entry into the Syrian conflict — and has been an outspoken defender of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Known for a brash, confrontational style, Lavrov has at times signalled Russia’s defiant posture visually and rhetorically — for example, arriving at a summit in Anchorage, Alaska, in a sweater bearing the letters CCCP. But observers say such posturing has limits when diplomacy requires damage‑control; after the Budapest plans collapsed, the Kremlin dispatched Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and a presidential envoy, to engage with U.S. contacts.
Under President Putin, loyalty and continuity often trump abrupt dismissals. Last year, for instance, long-serving Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was moved to the role of secretary of the Security Council rather than being sacked outright despite criticism of battlefield performance. That pattern — shuffling trusted figures while maintaining a façade of stability — helps explain why Kremlin spokesmen were quick to play down any perceived rift.
For now, official assurances have kept Lavrov in place. But the episode illustrates how small personnel signals inside the Kremlin can prompt outsized speculation about influence and direction at the heart of Russian power.
Reporting contributions by Anna Chernova and Matthew Chance.