Sky News analyses how Sergei Lavrov was absent from a recent meeting of Russia's Security Council, where Vladimir Putin ordered a report on preparations for nuclear tests, despite the fact that the Russian Foreign Minister is a permanent member of the council, and why the Russian president did not send his close aide to the G20 summit.
Initially, the British media recalled that “in the Soviet era, Westerners carefully examined videos of state events, such as military parades on Red Square, to learn more about the Kremlin hierarchy. Who was closest to the leader? What did the body language indicate? Which officials were for and who were not? The videos currently being studied by modern analysts of what is happening in the Kremlin come from the historic meeting of Russia’s Security Council on Wednesday, during which Vladimir Putin asked his top officials to begin drafting proposals for a possible nuclear weapons test.
“It was a momentous occasion. One that a trusted lieutenant would not be expected to miss. However, Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s veteran foreign minister, was conspicuously absent – he was the only permanent member of the Council not present. According to the Russian business daily Kommersant, his absence was “coordinated”. This episode alone would have been enough to cause unrest. But, combined with the choice of a younger official to lead the Russian delegation to the upcoming G20 summit (a role Lavrov has held in recent years) – then questions begin to arise, namely: Has Moscow’s top diplomat been sidelined?” writes Sky News.
The questions raised were urgent enough to force the Kremlin to deny it, but they failed to quell rumors that Lavrov had fallen into disfavor, according to British media.
Rumors of a rift have intensified since Donald Trump canceled a summit with Putin in Budapest last month, following a phone call between Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. According to the Financial Times, it was Lavrov's intransigence that prompted the White House to postpone the summit.
Citing diplomatic sources, the Sky News journalist writes that “the assessment was that Lavrov had either made a mistake or deviated from the script. Whether accidental or deliberate, his diplomacy (or lack thereof) ruined the summit and seemingly stopped the rapprochement between the US and Russia. Such a move would have angered Putin, who is willing to work with Washington, not just on Ukraine, but also on other issues, such as nuclear arms control.”
“Perhaps most importantly, it made the Russian president look weak, unable to control his foreign minister. And Putin is not a man who likes to be undermined,” the analysis says, using an analogy from the world of football: “Football fans will be familiar with Sir Alex Ferguson’s golden rule of management: Never let a player become more important than the club. Putin operates in a similar way. Loyalty is highly valued.”
"If Lavrov is indeed sidelined, this will be a very important moment. The 75-year-old has been the face of Russian diplomacy for more than two decades and effectively Putin's right-hand man for most of the Kremlin leader's rule, and is also a staunch supporter of Russia's invasion of Ukraine."
In fact, on the occasion of his appearance at the Putin-Trump summit in Alaska, wearing a sweater with the initials “CCCP”, the Russian letters for the USSR, the British journalist concludes: “This was characteristic of a diplomat of great weight, known for his non-negotiable stance. But did he ultimately pay for this uncompromising approach?”
