Lavrov Sidelined in Moscow's Power Shift
Sergey Lavrov’s absence from the recent Security Council meeting and his removal as head of Russia’s delegations to the G20 and ASEAN summits signal a notable change in Kremlin power dynamics. Once a central figure in shaping Moscow’s foreign policy, Lavrov is now sidelined as President Vladimir Putin strengthens his control over diplomatic decisions.
For the first time in decades, Lavrov did not attend a Security Council session chaired by Putin — an absence officially described as coordinated
. However, the simultaneous transfer of his responsibilities to Maxim Oreshkin and Alexey Overchuk, both technocrats from the presidential administration, suggests this is more than a routine reshuffle.
The Kremlin seems to be tightening its grip on international representation, reducing the foreign ministry’s autonomy in shaping foreign narratives. Lavrov’s decline follows the cancellation of a planned Putin-Trump meeting in Budapest.
Reports indicate that a tense exchange between Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alongside a Russian memorandum on Ukraine seen in Washington as
maximalist, caused frustration within the Kremlin.
Some insiders now accuse Lavrov of mismanaging the incident or even undermining Putin’s diplomatic goals. In Moscow’s power structure, mistakes are rarely overlooked.
Once regarded as an immovable figure, Lavrov now faces isolation similar to what preceded the fall of former Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
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