The coincidence of internal and external factors in Russia traditionally has the potential to influence the positions of top officials, and even lead to dismissal or "loss of freedom." Forbes speculates on what clouds are gathering over Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov amid fluctuations in relations between Moscow and Washington, UNN reports.
Details
Calling it Kremlinology, the decades-long Cold War tracking of who enjoyed political favor and who fell out of favor in the corridors of Kremlin power, the publication focuses on the personality of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Despite reports from Putin's press secretary that "Lavrov, of course, continues to hold the post of Foreign Minister," the publication draws attention to a number of evidences that, in fact, the situation with the chief diplomat is no longer what it used to be.
The latest object of these speculations has been Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Lavrov, a loyal regime supporter who has long carried out Putin's will (and promoted his neo-imperial policy), has been conspicuously absent from a number of important events in recent days. The foreign minister, usually a permanent participant in such events, did not appear at the meeting of the Russian National Security Council on November 5 – allegedly "by agreement" (presumably with Putin). He was also excluded from the Russian delegation to the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa later this month.
From the point of view of the authors of the material, it is already obvious that Lavrov is related to the "deterioration" of the Kremlin's relations with the Trump administration after the August Trump-Putin summit in Alaska.
This culminated in the cancellation of a planned meeting between the two leaders last month in Budapest, Hungary.
For the Kremlin leader, military strategy depends on "keeping the United States out of the nearly four-year conflict." But the above circumstances suggest rather different prospects.
Kremlin insiders are well aware that if the Trump administration becomes so impatient with Russia's intransigence that it fully supports European efforts to defend Ukraine, the results could be catastrophic for Moscow, the publication notes.
There could be a surge of additional American military aid to Kyiv, supplementing the military equipment currently being provided by countries such as France, Germany, and Poland.
Preventing these things from becoming a reality is certainly the top priority for Russia's chief diplomat. However, as Washington's stance on Moscow continues to harden, it is becoming painfully obvious that Lavrov is simply not doing his job. Of course, the fundamental problem is that, no matter how talented a diplomat he may be, Russia's foreign minister is being asked to defend the indefensible. Sooner or later, he may become a scapegoat for it.
Recall
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that "the Alaskan process" is not over. Russia is awaiting Washington's reaction to Vladimir Putin's response regarding the "concept of Ukrainian settlement," conveyed by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.