Russian President Vladimir Putin is reported to have sidelined his long-serving Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, following a diplomatic clash that is believed to have irritated the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
According to sources cited by Moscow Times, Lavrov has not been seen in public for several days and has been excluded from several important state summits and meetings, fueling speculation about the removal of one of Russia’s most senior diplomatic figures.
Reports indicate that a phone call in September between Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was “disastrous,” leading to the cancellation of a planned meeting between Putin and Trump. This development reportedly angered the Russian president, who was seeking stronger support from Washington.
Following the diplomatic incident, the U.S. imposed a new round of stringent sanctions on Russia, intended to push the Kremlin toward peace negotiations in Ukraine. Within Putin’s inner circle, some officials have accused Lavrov of “sabotage” and “refusal to follow Putin’s line.”
Lavrov, who has served as Foreign Minister for 21 years, was absent from the most recent meeting of the Russian Security Council and was replaced as head of the Russian delegation at the G20 summit in South Africa. Sources from the Telegram channel Nezygar said the diplomat “appears desperate” and “has completely lost Putin’s support.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has denied rumors of a rift between the two, stating that “these claims do not reflect reality” and that Lavrov “continues to perform his duties as Foreign Minister.”
These reports come as Ukraine has conducted a series of drone strikes deep within Russian territory—including an industrial facility roughly 800 miles inside Russia—while the Ukrainian military continues heavy fighting to defend the strategic city of Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region.
Analysts say the current situation highlights internal tensions within Putin’s Kremlin, at a time when Russia faces significant international pressure and serious challenges on the Ukrainian front.
