The Kremlin shot down rumors that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had been sacked, calling the reports “completely untrue.”
Speculation began to swirl around the veteran foreign minister this week when he was notably absent from a meeting on Wednesday with the permanent members of the Russian Security Council. Sources told Russia’s Kommersant special correspondent, Andrei Kolesnikov, that his absence was coordinated and “by agreement,” without further elaboration.
The anti-Kremlin Moscow Times, based in the Netherlands, went a step further, reporting that Lavrov had fallen out of favor following his phone call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio that caused a planned summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump to fall through.
The Kremlin forcefully shot down the rumors on Friday, saying there was no basis to them.
“There’s nothing in these reports that corresponds to reality,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told reporters when asked about the rumors.
“Of course, Lavrov is working as Minister of Foreign Affairs,” he added when asked if Lavrov was still in his position as head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Despite the Kremlin’s rebuttal, other pieces of evidence suggest a possible shift in Putin’s confidence in Lavrov.
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Peskov announced on Thursday that deputy chief of staff of the presidential administration Maxim Oreshkin would lead the Russian delegation to this year’s G20 summit, a position usually held by Lavrov. The decision was made directly by Putin, though no reason was given.
Lavrov has earned the position of one of the most prominent figures in Putin’s government, a loyal ally during his tenure and the global face of Russia’s foreign policy. His quick wit and aggressive defense of Moscow’s behavior have made him the most prominent figure in Russian diplomacy since the birth of the modern Russian Federation.