The Moscow Times has reported that Sergey Lavrov, who has served as Russia’s top diplomat for decades, is reportedly losing the trust of President Vladimir Putin. The reports emerged after a key diplomatic setback and changes in the minister’s schedule and roles.
The newspaper stated that Putin was reportedly very angered by Lavrov’s actions following the cancellation of a planned summit with US President Donald Trump. The Moscow Times noted that Mr Lavrov did not attend the National Security Council meeting on the day following the summit’s cancellation, stating he “was the only permanent member who missed such an important meeting, which in turn is also a violation of the council’s protocol.”
The reports further indicated that Mr Lavrov was stripped of his status as the head of the Russian delegation to the upcoming G20 summit. Instead, Putin appointed his deputy chief of staff to this post. The sequence of the cancelled summit, the missed Security Council meeting, and the removal from the G20 delegation post has led to intense speculation regarding the veteran diplomat’s standing within the Kremlin.
