Kremlin Denies Rift Between Putin and Lavrov After “Disastrous” Call With US

The Kremlin has rejected claims of tension between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his long-serving foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, following reports that the two had fallen out after a failed diplomatic call with Washington.

According to The Moscow Times, Lavrov’s late-October phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was described as “disastrous” and may have contributed to the cancellation of a planned Trump–Putin summit in Budapest.

A day after the call, the United States imposed new sanctions on Russia — targeting Rosneft and Lukoil, two of the country’s largest oil firms — in coordination with the UK.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the rift claims as “pure fiction,” emphasizing that “President Putin and Minister Lavrov continue to work in close coordination on all foreign policy matters.”

Despite the denial, Lavrov’s absence from a high-level Kremlin Security

Council meeting raised eyebrows in Moscow. During that meeting, Putin publicly stated that Russia was considering the resumption of nuclear testing — a provocative remark that signaled growing frustration with Western pressure.

The diplomatic fallout adds to a tense geopolitical climate, as Washington and Moscow continue to clash over sanctions, military escalation, and global energy influence.

Observers note that if Lavrov truly has fallen out of favor, it could mark a major shift in Russia’s foreign policy machinery — given his two-decade tenure as the face of Russian diplomacy.