Lavrov portrayed Putin as a weakling: how the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry "stumbled" on the summit in Budapest

Share: At a recent meeting of Russia's Security Council, where Vladimir Putin instructed his top officials to begin preparing proposals for possible nuclear weapons tests, an event occurred that sparked interest among political analysts. Conspicuously absent among the permanent members of the Security Council was Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, a man who for decades was considered one of the most influential people in Putin's entourage.

This is stated in the material of the British TV channel Sky News. The very fact that the country's chief diplomat was not present at the meeting at such an important moment already became a signal that something went wrong inside the Kremlin vertical. Although the Russian publication "Kommersant" reported that the absence was allegedly "coordinated" and not accidental.

The fact that the head of Russian diplomacy has fallen out of favor with Putin, the British say, is evidenced by the Kremlin's decision to send a younger official, not Lavrov, to the upcoming G20 summit. For a person who has represented Russia at the highest level for many years, this may look like a symbolic resignation.

What could have caused the discord between the elders of the Kremlin offices? Sources of Western publications, including the Financial Times, claim that it was Lavrov's tough stance in the conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that caused the cancellation of the planned summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Budapest. In essence, the minister's initiative disrupted a key diplomatic meeting, which was extremely disadvantageous for the Kremlin.

"Lavrov either made a mistake or deviated from the script. Whether by accident or on purpose, his diplomacy, or lack of it, derailed the summit and probably slowed the rapprochement between the US and Russia," Sky News emphasized. This development created the impression that Putin is unable to control his own foreign minister, a situation that the Russian leader considers completely unacceptable.

For Putin, who values ​​absolute loyalty, this was a personal blow to his authority, as it made him appear weak and dependent on those around him. If the rumors about the actual removal of the current head of the Russian Foreign Ministry are confirmed, it will be a turning point: the Lavrov era, which has defined Russian foreign policy since the early 2000s, may come to an end.