'Everything Is Fine': Kremlin Plays Down Speculation Putin Has Fallen Out With His Top Diplomat

Vladimir Putin and Sergei Lavrov are said to have fallen out recently, although the Kremlin denies it.The Kremlin has pushed back on speculation that Vladimir Putin is displeased with his long-time ally and top diplomat.Sergei Lavrov’s mysterious absence from key government meetings – both inside and outside Russia – in recent weeks has set off alarm bells considering how consistently the senior politician has supported Putin over the decades.Lavrov, who has been in post since 2004, was the only permanent member of the security council missing last Tuesday when Putin told his officials to come up with a plan to resume nuclear weapons testing. A junior minister has also replaced Lavrov in Russia’s delegation to the G20 summit in South Africa.But Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that Lavrov “continues to work, and he is actively at work”.According to The Guardian, he claimed: “When there are relevant public events, you will see the minister.”He insisted that any rumours of a falling out were “absolutely untrue,” “everything is fine” and “there is no need to pay attention”.However, recent events might suggest otherwise. Lavrov caused a stir when he phoned his US counterpart Marco Rubio and refused to shift at all on Russia’s goals in Ukraine.Trump then cancelled his planned face-to-face meeting with Putin which was meant to take place in October, suggesting it would be a futile encounter because Russia is refusing to compromise.While Putin is very reluctant to negotiate on his plan to completely de-militarise Ukraine, occupy even more of its land and stop it from ever joining Nato, he has been carefully leading Trump on over the last 10 months.Ever since he returned to office, the US president has been determined to be the world leader to end the Ukraine war – even if it means doing so on Putin’s terms.He has grown frustrated with Russia’s unenthusiastic responses in recent months, but still rolled out the red carpet for Putin in Alaska in August for a face-to-face summit, which delighted the Russian tyrant.After that meeting, Trump dropped his call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine – which obviously worked to Putin’s advantage.Losing out on another opportunity to win over the US president would have been a major blow to Putin, even though he was unlikely to compromise on his war plans anyway.The US also slapped sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil firms last month.Related...Why Did Starmer Agree To A New Deal With Turkey Despite Concerns Over Russian Oil?Tensions Between US And Russia Deepen As Trump's Treasury Secretary Hits Out At 'Propagandist' Envoy'An Act Of War': Putin Ally Blasts Donald Trump Over Russian Oil Sanctions

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