Lavrov absent from key Russian meetings, loses G20 delegation leadership after failed U.S. summit

The 76-year-old Russian diplomat did not attend the Nov. 5 meeting of the Russian Security Council, where Vladimir Putin ordered preparations for resuming nuclear tests halted in 1990. Lavrov was the only permanent member of the council to miss the session, The Moscow Times reported.

A source told the newspaper that Lavrov’s absence was “pre-arranged,” but it coincided with a series of setbacks for him. Notably, he lost his position as head of the Russian delegation to this year’s G20 summit in South Africa. Putin appointed Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Maxim Oreshkin to lead the delegation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The Moscow Times interpreted the move as a sign that Putin is displeased with Lavrov and has sidelined him.

Putin himself will continue to skip international summits due to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant. He similarly missed the G20 meetings in Bali in 2022 and the BRICS summit in Brazil in 2025, when Lavrov led the Russian delegation.

On Oct. 27, Lavrov complained that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump had “radically” shifted its approach to resolving Russia’s war against Ukraine compared with its stance during the Alaska summit.

Lavrov expressed frustration that the White House now insists on a cease-fire first and claimed that the Trump administration changed its position under pressure from European allies of Ukraine.

On Oct. 16, Trump held a phone call with Putin, after which he announced plans for a new meeting in Budapest. The meeting was later canceled, following a conversation between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lavrov. American media reported that Rubio confirmed Russia’s uncompromising stance during the call. Bloomberg reported that Rubio’s assessment influenced Trump’s decision to impose his first sanctions on Russian companies Lukoil and Rosneft since returning to the presidency.

On Oct. 23, the White House said a Trump-Putin meeting was still possible but emphasized it “must yield tangible positive results.”